I always like it when someone starts with an object, “Apple,” and ends with the same object. This is good. I enjoyed it.

Yeesh! I’m hoping Del skips this one! (we’re planning a ’27 wedding). lol.
Your poetic strength is maybe lost on some readers, because you go deep like this. There’s geometry in this creation, angles and dark corners. I can take the weight, though, when reading your powerful lines. Because there is reward in finding the meanings and how we perceive it all. Outstanding depth here.

As always Mark, I’m so pleased someone gets me.

Insomnia cinema… paper mouths kissing… such poetic gold here… well penned

It’s so haunting and beautiful. An exploration of longing and absence, capturing a ghostly presence observing a loved one’s dreams and life continue while he remains unseen, blending surreal imagery with intimacy and loss.

Quality write
Says a lot within a short amount of words

Like

I agree with Gary. It is a bit different from the norm too. Your choices of wording are unique and powerful once it is all built into a poem like this.
High quality.

I love how the poem blends physicality and emotion, making each gesture feel tender and intense, with a haunting, lingering echo in the final lines.
A striking and intimate piece.

Rob, your poem drifts like a half-remembered dream, tender and yearning. Each day carries longing, memory, and desire. The way you reach for someone across nights and cities is heartbreakingly beautiful. Even sleeplessness feels like a lover in your words.

Beautifully done

My father had dementia. I have written notes but no answering machine voice which would be really great. You’re lucky. You have some unique writing here. Glad I read this. Good one.

I wasn’t expecting the pictures this painted with words. It was so vivid that I could feel those memories even though they weren’t my own.

That’s a really moving and powerful piece. The way you capture your father’s voice and the layers of memory, from the “palimpsest of tobacco teak” to the echo of his working life, is just beautiful. It really makes you feel the weight of what’s been lost and the preciousness of that preserved memory.