Reviews from

Forget Me Not

A Crown of Heroic Sonnets for the contest

55 total reviews 
Comment from Emily888
Excellent
Not yet exceptional. When the exceptional rating is reached this is highlighted

Beautifully written my friend! Wonderfully descriptive and expresses the emotions quite well without forcing it onto the reader. I like the use of imagery. Good luck!

 Comment Written 20-May-2017


reply by the author on 22-May-2017
    Very many thanks for your kind review, Emily. Much appreciated! Tony
Comment from Mitchell Brontė
Excellent
Not yet exceptional. When the exceptional rating is reached this is highlighted

This crown of heroic sonnets were an absolute treat.
The imagery your words paint are masterful, my only regret is that I'm out of sixes.
Such a wonderful, effortless flow throughout.....fantastic
Have a great evening
Mitchell

 Comment Written 20-May-2017


reply by the author on 22-May-2017
    Very many thanks for your kind review, Mitchell. Much appreciated! Tony
Comment from Nika2016
Exceptional
This work has reached the exceptional level

I saved my six for something like this.....a wonderful poem that brims with life and all of its joys and wonders...My favorite part is the view of the sea in one's last days and yet the tenacity of the forget-me-not touches the heart in its strength and beauty. This poem ranks with all of the best ever written in time...

 Comment Written 20-May-2017


reply by the author on 24-May-2017
    Very many thanks both for your glowing review and for the award of six stars, Nika. Delighted that you enjoyed this and that it held your interest. Best wishes, Tony
Comment from Sylvia Page
Exceptional
This work has reached the exceptional level

Tony this is a masterpiece. Beautifully crafted Crown of Heroic Sonnets. Good imagery throughout, and masterfully written. Well done! Best wishes in the contest.
Sylllvia

 Comment Written 20-May-2017


reply by the author on 24-May-2017
    Very many thanks both for your review and for the award of six stars, Sylvia. Delighted that you enjoyed this and that it held your interest. Best wishes, Tony
Comment from Margaret Ford
Excellent
Not yet exceptional. When the exceptional rating is reached this is highlighted

A fine crown of sonnets, Tony, with the same creative bent you always demonstrate: deep philosophical thoughts, described with unusual combinations of words that would only occur to one so talented.

You may be missing an iamb in #2, 4th stanza, 2nd line: "An east wind blows through broken tiles" -- I only count four, but maybe my 'counter' is off.

I love all your poems, sir, from the simple to the profound. Best wishes -- Margaret

 Comment Written 20-May-2017


reply by the author on 24-May-2017
    Very many thanks both for your review, Margaret, and for drawing my attention to the line missing an iamb! There were two of them, in fact - I must have been half-asleep when proofreading. It just goes to show how important a second pair of eyes can be!. Delighted that you enjoyed this and that it held your interest. Best wishes, Tony
Comment from nancy_e_davis
Exceptional
This work has reached the exceptional level

Wow! I am impressed Tony. When I read that first line about a forget-me-not I wondered how you could possibly make a Crown of Heroic Sonnets out of that line, but you did it! You did a wonderful job of it as well. This should do very well in the contest! Kudos my friend. Nancy

 Comment Written 20-May-2017


reply by the author on 24-May-2017
    Very many thanks both for your review and for the award of six stars, Nancy. Delighted that you enjoyed this and that it held your interest. Best wishes, Tony
Comment from BeasPeas
Excellent
Not yet exceptional. When the exceptional rating is reached this is highlighted

I see that this is not a blind contest, Tony, so I can congratulate you on a stellar write. This is an amazingly beautifully composed piece. I wish I had a sixer for you as it is well deserved, but I wanted to read and review it today. Wonderful wording throughout. I felt as if I was there as you described your surroundings. You're a gifted poet. My best wishes for the contest. Marilyn

 Comment Written 20-May-2017


reply by the author on 24-May-2017
    Very many thanks for your very kind words and virtual six, Marilyn. Delighted that you enjoyed this and that it held your interest. Best wishes, Tony
Comment from barbara.wilkey
Excellent
Not yet exceptional. When the exceptional rating is reached this is highlighted

I so wish I had a six left for this masterfully written contest entry. I loved it. Your poem flowed smoothly and the words you chose described a beautiful picture and was emotional. Good luck.

 Comment Written 20-May-2017


reply by the author on 22-May-2017
    Very many thanks for your kind review, Barbara. Much appreciated! Tony
Comment from Sis Cat
Exceptional
This work has reached the exceptional level

I have not read many Crowns of Heroic Sonnets, but I do say that this is the finest I have read. I love the tactile nature of the poem. I can not only see the musty, old items but feel them, and their importance to the narrator:

Vague memories of better days live on,
like echoes, though their usefulness is gone.

There are so many choice phrases that stood out, such as this one,

And so it is with this old porch, ingrained
with love. Its timbers came from early ships,
constructed with a craftsmen's care and stained
with sweat.

I can imagine a house built of ship timbers.

This passage made me sigh to reflect upon the joy of an old carpenter's craft:

But that undressing done, it's time to act,
with dovetailed love, ingrained, to give new life,
yet keep the soul of yesteryear intact,
with younger woods withstanding nature's strife.

You go on and on with one stellar passage after another. I feel surrounded by ghosts of memories:

An empty one and one that's filled with fears?
Are these for phantom guests, forgotten ghosts
that hover over my declining years?

You end your well-rhymed and imagined Crown with this gem of aa couplet:

This precious life's on loan and, when it's done,
roots curl around the moisture of cold stone.

Your well-rhymed, structured poem reminds me of the tactile, earth-under-the-fingernails-tone of Seamus Heaney.

Thank you for sharing. I wish you much success in the contest.

 Comment Written 20-May-2017


reply by the author on 24-May-2017
    I always appreciate your reviews, Sis Cat, and value your comments. Thanks, too, in this case for the six stars. I very much appreciated your close reading and response to my poem. Best wishes, Tony
Comment from c_lucas
Excellent
Not yet exceptional. When the exceptional rating is reached this is highlighted

Aging is not an adventure, but a terror when you find the simplest task hard to do. This is very well written with a smooth flow of words, making for a very good read.

 Comment Written 20-May-2017


reply by the author on 22-May-2017
    Very many thanks for your kind review, Charlie. Much appreciated! Tony