you need to fret before you remember.
maybe that's why you let go so easily
of good thoughts, because you can't recall
you look good today
like your mind has engraved
nobody wants to be with you
all compliments are lies anyway.
A/N: This is from an old NaPo piece inspired by quotes from a professor, a fair-weather-friend and a bully. Original here. Captialization is intentional.
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125,007 Literary Works • 672,815 Reviews
Hi,
I like the components in this, I think what you did with the capitalization really supports the meaning of the poem. How I personally interpreted it is that you view yourself as being small, and whether that was the intention you had behind it or not, it still supports your meaning I believe. I love the enjambment of "you let go so easily" into the next line. It's as if you're physically letting go in the text, and I LOVE when the structure of the poem supports the meaning. I like the similarity of sounds in "engraved" and "anyway."
Anyways,
just a few tips,
Kuma
Thank you!
I really like this short poem because... well as mentioned in the type... it's realistic. I really think this is something we can all relate to at some point. The line "all compliments are lies anyway" is especially a meaningful line to end off on because it shows how unwilling we are o accept any other way for having low self-esteem.
I think I can kind of understand why the letters aren't capitalized... my own view is that since this character is super unconfident in her/himself, maybe that means they don't even have this confidence of expressing their words properly? Yeah, I don't really know what I mean either...
Anyway, though this was short, it still conveyed a clear message that was worth reading!
Thank you!
Hey niteowl! (love your username by the way
)
Basically, if anything I say doesn't make sense with some poetry rule or something, just ignore my ignorance! lol 
So, I'm not sure if I've ever reviewed your work so I will tell you now that I don't know much about poetry and I literally say that every time I review it!
My usual format in a review is that I will tell you what I didn't like first so that I can leave you on a positive vibe!
Ok, review time.
So, I think the biggest problem that I have with this piece is that it was SO short. It kind of makes it hard to get the feel of and hard to review. I think this is something that you could easily elaborate on too because it is very true and very relatable.
I know you said that "capitalization is intentional" but I think it is weird. Shouldn't each line be capitalized? I don't know if that is an actual rule when writing poetry so ignore me if it isn't.
Now, for what I liked.
I like this poem mostly because it is true. Compliments are USUALLY lies and only said when you have nothing else to say to someone. That's how it is for me at least. Either that or they have to look EXTREMELY beautiful lol. Although, if I compliment your shoes, it's genuine
Anyway, I like it! Keep up the good work!
Your friend,
Honora
Hi there Honora! Thanks for the review! I see how you might think it's too short. I think there's a certain power in brevity, and it's very easy to go on and on in a poem well beyond the point where you're actually adding to it. I decided to keep this one short because I feel like it's good on its own, but self-esteem is sort of a recurring theme in my poetry, so you'll almost certainly see more from me on the subject.
As for the bit about capitalization, the "rule" about the beginning of each line having to be capitalized is actually a pretty old rule that no longer applies. Capitalization in Poetry is an awesome article that goes into the various styles of capitalization and why a poet might choose each. In this case, I chose no caps because the speaker feels small, so I thought it fit the mood of the piece better. I'd also check out Punctuation in Poetry for similar explanations of how poets use punctuation.
Your thought about compliments are really interesting! I wouldn't say I'm usually lying when I compliment other people, but it's more of an aside or a conversation-filler. It's only when people compliment me that I suspect they're lying haha.
Thanks for the review!
Lol thank you for the articles on poetry! I will most definitely have to check them out!
Now that you point out the capitalization, it makes sense and it's actually pretty impressive that you thought of that!
I look forward to reading more of your stuff!
Hey, I'd like to start by saying that I am by no means an expert, or even really a novice when it comes to poetry, so, therefore, I will not be making any comments on structural stuff or anything like that. What I will be reviewing is general feeling and flow.
On that topic, due to the shortness of the poem, there's really not a ton to review. I got a sort of melancholy feeling from it, which was even added to by the short length. I'd describe it as kind of an ended-too-soon kind of emotion that was sprinkled on. The frosting to the mildly depressing cake, if you will.
The line "all compliments are lies anyway" really resonated with me and, ironically enough, boosted my self-esteem a little (which is due almost entirely to the face that I've taught my brain to instantly respond to such comments, internal or external, with something that I'd describe as warning bells? Like, "Depression Incoming!" but not the actual words? You know that really annoying alarm sound effect that they put in movies all the time? It's like that, but different, harder to describe. Anyway, it was cool to know that I had taught my brain well).
Your capitalization, or lack thereof, really added to the tone of the piece as a whole.
Anyway, I've run out of observations. Overall, it was really well done, I have no complaints outside of the completely irrelevant fact that I'm tired and this poem didn't really help that fact, but that's not your fault so much as it is mine, so, like I said, no complaints.
Goodbye and happy writing!
Thanks for the review! Yeah, I know shorter poems are hard to review, but I had this labeled in my NaPo deep dive as "an absolute gem", so I decided to post it properly haha.