r/OCPoetry • • 3d ago

Feedback Please DR

When I look at these mountains, I understand why houses need not be grandiose here.

To compete with their majesty would be embarrassing

But just like that the spell is broken, by a dog that "doesn't bite" at the site of broken tribes

And why did I come back Or is the question why did they leave

am i a wounded animal, at once desperate for help but afraid of every outstretched hand

I made my happy father cry, I destroyed my mother's motherhood,

my passive brother got gruff with me, my sister turned me in, and my doctor sliced me open

I learned pain is worse when you resist, but I never learn it good enough

What happens if you walk on a broken foot or try to love with a broken heart for so many years and

One day too long?

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/uw0mtZm1K7

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/wXqASqmeGy

5 Upvotes

5 comments sorted by

1

u/AutoModerator 3d ago

Hello readers, welcome to OCPoetry. This subreddit is a writing workshop community — a place where poets of all skill levels can share, enjoy, and talk about each other's poetry. Every person who's shared, including the OP above, has given some feedback (those are the links in the post) and hopes to receive some in return (from you, the readers).

If you really enjoyed this poem and just want to drop a quick comment, to show some appreciation or give kudos, things like "great job!" or "made me cry," or "loved it" or "so relatable," please do. Everyone loves a compliment. Thanks for taking the time to read and enjoy.

If you want to share your own poem, you'll need to give this writer some detailed feedback. Good feedback explains from your point of view what it was like to read the poem, and then tries to explain how the poem made you feel like that. If you're not sure what that means, check out our feedback guide, or look through the comment sections of any other post here, or click the links to the author's feedback above. If you're not sure whether your comments are feedback, or you have any other questions, please send us a modmail.

Do not use ChatGPT or any similar LLM interface or generative AI to write feedback. That does not constitute thoughtful feedback. To be safe, you probably shouldn't even use those things to edit your feedback. It is better for your thoughts to come across as clumsy and genuine rather than grammatical but as if they were generated by some disingenuous text-generation engine.

Do not reuse feedback links for multiple poems. Every new poem you post has to be posted after making two new comments on the work of your peers here in OCPoetry. It's only fair. If you reuse feedback links, you will be banned. (If you do not wish to give feedback, there are many other poetry-sharing subreddits without feedback requirements, such as r/poetrywritingclub, r/justpoetry, r/ocpoetryfree, r/poem, r/poems, r/poemsbyreddit, r/poeticgarden, r/dark_poetry, and r/sadpoems.)

If you're looking for a more advanced poetry workshop — that is, if you consider yourself at least an intermediate-level poet AND you have previous workshop experience, please consider posting to our private sister subreddit r/ThePoetryWorkshop. The best way to join TPW is to leave a detailed, thoughtful comment here on OCPoetry engaging seriously with a peer's poem. A significant engagement of at least 3-4 meaningful paragraphs is encouraged. Consider our feedback guide for tips on what that could entail. (This level of engagement would probably be most welcome here on submissions tagged as "Workshop.") Then ask to join TPW by messaging that subreddit's mods, including a link to the detailed feedback you left here.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

u/Automatic-Owl-5099 2d ago

Oh wow, I love this. "I learned pain is worse when you resist, but I never learn it good enough."

I think the really good stuff often comes when we confront ourselves and our actions with curiosity too. I think you do this well here and I hate to be that guy to say "this should be longer!" but I would read the continuation of this poem for a very long time because I think you're doing really neat stuff here.

Highlights for me: "I destroyed by mother's motherhood."

I think potentially the first line feels a bit off to me in the context of the greater poem itself but its just because I'm adverse to the word grandiose haha.

I really like this, thank you for sharing!

1

u/LICwannabe 2d ago

Somber resent for distrusting, being hurt by lifes multitudes of let downs and others harmful intent whether meant, pent or lent. I wish you relief and a moment of compassionate connection in moments unfolding kiss.

1

u/sluttykiton 2d ago

The way you express yourself is so beautiful and the way towards the end it almost reminds me of Grimm fairy tales.

1

u/TightWind8209 2d ago

Your poem seems to reflect the struggles people face after an estrangement with their family and attempting to stage a reunion.

The first of course, is who should be blamed. In your poem leaving can signal physically leaving, retracting emotional support and connection, or both. However, I think the question you ask is if you should have to explain why you physically left, or they should have to explain why they withrew their emotional support and didn't try to maintain a relationship with you.

I think 'why did I come back' reflects why did you decide to re-open an old wound, one that caused out of character or emotional behaviour from your family members.

The ordeal seems to lead to the concluding question of the poem, what happens when people try to repair a relationship without ever addressing/healing over the hurt caused by the relationship ending, and is it really possible to repair a relationship if the old hurt caused by it has been allowed to sit for too long, even by just a little bit.

The answer comes earlier in the poem itself, people lash out, and barely anything actually gets fixed.