Beautifully penned, Kelly. Excellent write my friend, really dig the imagery. Nicely done per usual. Appreciate you.

Damian

My one and only reply. Thank you most kindly, Damian. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Kelly, Kelly, Kelly!!!
A huge 💥CONGRATULATIONS💥 to you on your excellent Win! 🏆

No one paints wondrously vivid, deeply emotional, metaphorically enthralling Free Verse imagery more magically brilliant, via the endlessly colored medium of creative articulation ⁓ than YOU!
And, no one’s poetry excites and enthralls my depths more thoroughly than Yours. You’re a True Master Poetess – in every sense of the words. I’ve always enviously admired your incomparably original skills with a pen.

Your first two verses alone made of me a living, breathing voyeur to the captivating ambiance and verisimilitude in your moment’s reality … I mean, truly, I was there ~ even when the snow began silently falling.

I couldn’t be prouder of and happier for you, Dear Kelly, always … hugs! ⁓ Richard🖌

You and I go back quite a way from posting on the WC together …that’s what makes this review even dearer to me! And here it is, Thanksgiving morning…and here I am giving thanks for you! xo

Wowzers! This was great!

“my heart became a voyager to the past”

Some writers don’t need (don’t use) huge words to try and hide their mediocre poetry with glossy accessories. You don’t.
You are incredibly effective talking to the reader in a language we all can follow fluidly. That is skill. You have it.
Truly rewarding reading your material every time.

I was anxious for your review. I am now wearing the smile you gave me! Thank you!

There’s a quiet enchantment here—how the simple act of listening becomes a journey, a communion with voices long gone. I love how the snowfall mirrors the unfolding of the words, each line falling gently yet leaving a lasting trace. The poem makes memory, literature, and presence feel alive at once…..Great to see you here.

Beautifully penned, Kelly. Excellent write my friend, loved the depth of this one. Appreciate you.

Damian

More. Post more.
Even the light from a burning match is epic within pitch black. This is what this write of yours is.
now do a bonfire.

Okay, this is one of those writes that makes you sit and just let it seep in. This is so good.

Fantastic.

Fantastic!

Kelly
Great write and a bloody great album by Steely Dan.🌻

“These things are gone forever, over a long time ago.” Monopoly, and music, played in a slow southern style and Johnny Walker, Red or Black as either would aid in loquacious conversation. But, curious minds want to know (okay me) was it your “coquettish wiles”, or Johnny Walker, or “pretzel logic”, that overcame his “zealous” monopoly playing. I can only imagine those “conversations”. But I do not need imagination to know what a sensual poem this is Kelly. (Pssst, Kelly, I’ll give you my Reading and B&O Railroads for some of that Johnny Walker… LOL)

Curt

Between the poem and your picture I can’t decide which one is better. 🙂
Always a pleasure to read your poems Kelly. Steely dan was always one of my favorite bands.

Thank you for the compliment on my picture, Tim. You know, I found through the years of working at a record store that men preferred Steely Dan more so than women. Still sounds good to me!

Cleverly penned, Kelly. Excellent write my friend. I’m also a fan of the Dan! Classic album, I knew from the title what band you were talking about. Fagan and Becker were studio geeks, perfectionists, but most importantly they were brilliant songwriters. Who were know to have 80 versions or more of a song. With the best studio musicians sprinkled in and out of each recording. Really dig this one! Appreciate you.

Damian

I was hoping someone would remember it being the name of a studio LP. Thanks so much, Damian!

You’ve provided us with many elements to consider in this monopoly game, and all of them take me back to an earlier time. The title drew me in, of course, as I’m a Steely Dan fan. That game can last so long–I wonder if one bottle of Johnny Walker was enough.

Looks like you did the “Dirty Work” in this one. (That’s a great song btw!)
Details are your forte in your writes. As well as capturing the nuances within the push-pull of the evening. Casual, yet with an underlying intensity ready to spring. No?
Excellent write. If you are not published frequently, you should be. You are quite skilled at writing about the human condition.

Thank you, Styxian. I am most flattered by your review. I always write from the heart, and gravitate to detail as much as I can. People relate to it in spades. I am grateful for your every word and will remember the kindness! Please stay in touch. I am quite new here and love interacting with my readers. Best wishes!

Dan is my all-time favorite band (that is, if I was forced to choose just one). I love how they are seen as musical “anti-heroes” nowadays. It amuses me how modern-day hipsters absolutely hate them for sounding like “elevator music” without understanding that Steely were the hipsters of their day. Unlike Sabbath, Zeppelin, the Stones, The Eagles and the other loud, grandiose acts of their time, Becker and Fagan were quietly, subtly carving out a lasting niche that thrives on its own. The only bands that even comes close to this, IMO, are bands like Pink Floyd, Rush, old Chicago or maybe King Crimson, and as much as I love those bands, they just don’t lay the cut like Steely can and that is why I will always come back to them no matter what.

Pretzel Logic was the record where they really discovered the direction they wanted to go, and they followed that direction in spite of all the setbacks and hatred they received for not being “hard enough”, yet the careful listener knows that they are actually sharper, harder and far more difficult than all the other “heroes” of the 70’s. Many associate them with the derogatory label “yacht rock”….yeah, only if said yacht were loaded with junkies, losers and degenerate gamblers lol. People who call them by that label aren’t truly listening to the supreme darkness in their music.

“Aja” is my absolute favorite record, with probably “Gaucho” coming in second.

There’s an element of Steely Dan in most every poem I’ve ever written. Their lyrics cut & soothe simultaneously. To me they are master songwriters that more recognized songwriters turn to for inspiration on how really craft a meaningful song. I saw a Steely Dan cover band perform in a Denver nightclub in the late 90s, and it was the best concert I’ve ever seen. Just a good facsimile is superior to real yet lesser bands!

I saw your title and knew I was going to keep this poem. If Becker & Fagan were to write a song about playing Monopoly, it would probably look a lot like this piece. Nice touch to use scotch & cigarettes for images to set the scene, and JUST enough “big words” to keep it cerebral.

Not a fan boy for much, but the sounds of Dan will always qualify. Kudos! With that I end my very loquacious comment lol. Fan boy, like I said…

That’s some review, Benjamin! I admire your love for music, and it speaks in spades here. I’ve always felt Steely Dan was an acquired taste. You either loved the sound of Becker and Fagan or you despised it. I’d consider it a staple in my vestige of good music. Always have, always will. Thank you!

Steely Dan rules and so does this poem. Monopoly kicks ass!

I always used the little hat in Monopoly. House rules! Lol, thank you so much!

Chère K.,
Hope this finds you well?!

So, apart from writing, we’ve been colleagues huh?
I’ve worked in a record store too, het Rembrandtplein, dead centre Amsterdam.

Pretzel is an upstairs LP. I have it, but it spins very very seldom. The downstairs LP’s are regularly played. Yesterday, the self titled Tim Buckley.

Love this Monopoly poem! Keep on keeping on, like Curtis said.
Kind regards, Gus

Good to meet a former music colleague! Those were the days, the very best of days, working at a record store! I consider myself privileged to have worked at one at the height of the eighties, when some of the best music was made. Thanks, Gus. Glad you enjoyed my take on a Monopoly game!

You took me into this scene. I felt this.

Powerfully penned, Kelly. Excellent write my friend. Appreciate you.

Damian

Figuring out the small stuff can be overwhelming! Thank god for solitaire.
I enjoy the sound and feel of shuffling a deck of cards. It takes away all the noise in your head.
That’s where my mind took me while reading this. Feeling this and really putting myself in the scene.
Loved this!

Hello Adelphina! I very much enjoy playing solitaire, too…and you’re right, it does calm down the noise in your head. It was the perfect fit for this poem too, I think. Thank you so much for your review. I am most thrilled to meet you!

readin this hits hard so full of pain I’ve been there but that is the nature of love isn’t it to bring us so much pleasure then so much pain no way around it… great write ❤️

its that kind of stuff that will always get in the way and stops us in our tracks every time isn’t it .. the guy was a fool .. and just between you n me .. I know a good hitman who owes me a favour or two .. write on K .. N

Beautiful piece….sad but beautiful.🙏

Love….it’s a blessing and a curse at the same time. They just take turns. This is a sad one, Kelly. All those lonely people on youtube could probably relate in their own way to this. There’s always meaning behind your poems. 🙂

Thank you, Tim. So good to finally see the man behind the poet!

It took me a while before I got “used to” a lonely bed. Kelly, your poem hits home, and all I can think to say is, it’s a hard task sleeping in a lonely bed, where memories linger and the smell of them remains, even after many washings of sheets.

How about a game of gin rummy, over a triple shot of Black Label on the rocks? ;0)

Curt

You are a very good writer yaknow.
And, you must be pretty young, because Jack Daniels is for the younger crowd (so I’ve seen, lol) and we older folks sip Jim Beam. Of course there’s Jamison, but it feels stereotypical when I drink it, LOL.
You ensnare us with all the intricate details within your writes. The thread count sheets, as an example. That is precision detail.
You could easily carry a longer write, and we would be most grateful, because you write so well. It’s good to have you here, you bring quite the talent.

Wow, you sure know how to articulate a compliment! Thank you most kindly for acknowledging the precision detail in my work. I strive for that, that and writing with the brevity of words. I do have lengthier pieces, which I will be posting soon. It’s good to be here. I am quite comfortable in the company of kindness! You’ve made my day. Thank you, again!