Comment from njcoleman

Exceptional

this hits me good...it's real, it hurts.
This, to me, is what poetry is all about. Real feelings: love, life, sadness, elation, death. Not butterflies and dandelions (although I have nothing against either). But this is poetry.
excellent work

 Comment Written 23-Jan-2025

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reply by the author on 25-Jan-2025

Thanks again for the exceptional rating. What kind of poets do you read? I am big on Heaney, Yeats, Levertov and Anderson. estory

reply by njcoleman on 26-Jan-2025

E,
I read a lot. Novels, articles, poetry. But I tend to jump around with whatever catches my fancy. The only poets I've ever read a collection of is E A Poe and Anne Sexton. And I'm now reading Rebecca Elson. Other than that I will switch from Milton to Homer to Nash to Carroll to Lennon to estory!

reply by the author on 26-Jan-2025

Check out Heaney. One of the most important poets of the last half of the twentieth century. estory

Comment from Dolly'sPoems

Excellent

I think, as we age, we think more and more about those we have lost in life and death seems to be less of a threat as we begin to realise it is inevitable for all of us. At Christmas time we tend to mourn those who no longer sit at our festive table, a touching poem, love Dolly x x x

 Comment Written 19-Nov-2024

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reply by the author on 19-Nov-2024

Thanks for the excellent review and your perspective on this poem. It is true that as we get closer to it, we seem to think of death more and more, contemplating what might lie beyond the door into the dark. It seems funny to me that most people in church are elderly. This was a poem written while my dad was sick with a stroke and his subsequent death. That event really made me think of the meaning of life, and what might come next. estory

Comment from TPAC

Excellent

We all have our considerations prevailing death, defined general beliefs ending an individual existence. How do you know? I take the opposite belief, from those in the world: believing they are still there. Just my opinion.

 Comment Written 18-Nov-2024

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reply by the author on 19-Nov-2024

Thanks for the excellent review and your perspective on the theme here. I wrote a story similar to this called The Door into the Dark, if you want to read it, it's in my portfolio in a collection called In Real Time. It is true that we don't really know what happens when we die, and this lack of control of something so heavy handed in our lives leads us to try to make some sense of it, I believe. estory

Comment from ESOSTINE

Excellent

I truly love the manner your free style poem paced - smooth and unforced. You did a good work here. The questions raised in your poem are questions many will continue to ask, and the answers would ever remain hazy in my opinion. Thanks so much for sharing your very engaging thoughts.

 Comment Written 18-Nov-2024

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reply by the author on 18-Nov-2024

Thanks for the excellent review and your perspective on the poem. I like to make people think, and it looks like I succeeded with this piece. Thanks for all the encouragement. estory

Comment from mermaids

Excellent

I like how you ask questions in your words. They are questions about the dead we all wonder about. Your theme is perfect for a poem, we can feel and think about those who have passed on, out in nature. "In the stones, in the streams, are words that show the natural world bringing us closer to the dead. Excellent poetic form that adds to the strength of your theme.

 Comment Written 17-Nov-2024

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reply by the author on 18-Nov-2024

Thanks for the excellent review and your words of support for the piece. It's always great to know what specifically works in a piece, and I have to say I liked that image of the stones in the streams myself. Also the trees, standing still, silent, unable to interact with the living. Falling asleep to this world. estory

Comment from Annmuma

Excellent

I don't necessarily agree with everything you propose to be true in the poem. But that is not really the point, is it? The writing engaged me from the first word and it is written in a way that I could not stop until I finished it. It is thought provoking, gentle and kind. A really, well-done poem. ann

 Comment Written 17-Nov-2024

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reply by the author on 18-Nov-2024

Thanks for the excellent review and your words of encouragement for the piece. I like to make people think, and I guess I did that in this poem. And that is the important thing. Thanks for all the support. estory.

Comment from lyenochka

Excellent

Thank you for sharing your deep reflections about death and resurrection. I am very simple in my faith. I just believe what Jesus promised that He is preparing a place for us after we leave our bodies here. I am often surprised that people who believe the gospel have trouble believing in Heaven. My dad even was a pastor briefly but he was not certain about Heaven.

 Comment Written 14-Nov-2024

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reply by the author on 15-Nov-2024

Thanks for the excellent review and your perspective on this piece. I believe in the resurrection too and that is our only hope. But it is still hard to endure the separation from people you love while on this world. We are left with the vision of them as they were, not what they have become, exactly. estory

reply by lyenochka on 15-Nov-2024

It's the shortcoming of our memory. When we only know a child and haven't seen them for decades, it's a shock to see the grown adult they have become. Our mind's camera only preserved that last time. I'm looking forward to our new bodies!

Comment from Jessica Wheeler

Exceptional

This piece is very moving. It invites a deeper reflection on the boundaries between life and the afterlife. I appreciate the focus on remembrance and the way you express our human need to honor the dead. Your ability to ground abstract ideas with clear, tangible imagery is impressive! The last line hits hard.
Much enjoyed!
Jess

 Comment Written 13-Nov-2024

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reply by the author on 14-Nov-2024

Thanks again for the sixer. I appreciate the support and it's always great to hear what works specifically in a piece. estory

Comment from BethShelby

Excellent

Yes, there are mysteries surrounding death. I think of those who have gone on and hope to reunite with them one day. Even the scripture can be confusing. BY saying they never die, or they sleep until the resurrection. We know there is nothing in thos worn out bodies we'll need again. I think the essence of that they were is saved on a record like a computer program that can be reactivated. Anything those who were close still live in my dreams at night very much as they were. Nice thought-provoking poetry.

 Comment Written 13-Nov-2024

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reply by the author on 14-Nov-2024

Thanks for the excellent review and your perspective on the theme here. I like to get people thinking, and it seems that happened here. Although I don't believe spirits can be descibed as static and mechanical in the afterlife. estory

Comment from Sandra Stoner-Mitchell

Excellent

Yesterday, the 12th was the first anniversary of my dear brother's death. Reading your poem was incredibly soothing and one I needed to read. It was an emotional day for me going over his last hours. But I believe he is well again, he can walk, and he is with our parents in heaven. Thank you for this lovely poem, my friend. Love Sandra xx

 Comment Written 13-Nov-2024

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reply by the author on 13-Nov-2024

Thanks for the excellent review. I spent a lot of time contemplating the meaning of life and death when my dad died. I was holding his hand when he passed, and that made it much more emotional. I soon began to realize how fast the world at large forgets people and what they did in this world after they pass, and that became another big theme of my work lately. It's a tough topic but one we all have to confront. Doing it with faith is the only way. estory