Poetry
Unpacking White Lotus Season 3: Gorgeous Scenes and Frustratingly Familiar Tropes
For the last eight weeks, my morning routine has been to get up, make coffee, and mentally get ready for the upcoming episode of HBO's The White Lotus. It has evolved into a weekly immersion in opulence, dysfunction, and mortality rather than merely a viewing experience. I was optimistic, high, caftan-clad, sun-kissed aspirations about the upcoming show.
By Hridya Sharma9 months ago in Critique
Dr. Muhammad Yunus
Dr. Muhammad Yunus: The Banker to the Poor and Pioneer of Microcredit Dr. Muhammad Yunus, a Bangladeshi economist and social entrepreneur, is a globally renowned figure best known for his groundbreaking work in microfinance and poverty alleviation. Born on June 28, 1940, in the port city of Chittagong, Bangladesh, Yunus has dedicated his life to addressing the root causes of poverty and empowering the poor through innovative financial systems. His most notable achievement is the founding of Grameen Bank, a revolutionary institution that provides small loans to the impoverished without requiring collateral.
By Nabir Mondol9 months ago in Critique
The Lasting Magic of Amélie Poulain: Why the Film Still Captivates Audiences
Discover why “Amélie Poulain” remains a cinematic masterpiece, and why it’s still a cultural phenomenon. Have you ever wondered why Amélie Poulain remains one of the most beloved films of the 21st century? Released in 2001, this French film, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, captured the hearts of millions worldwide and still holds a special place in modern cinema. The film’s whimsical charm, memorable characters, and unique storytelling have allowed it to maintain its popularity even after two decades. But what is it about Amélie Poulain that continues to captivate new audiences today?
By Bubble Chill Media 9 months ago in Critique
Snow White 2025: Balancing Woke Themes with Classic Storytelling – A Review
The 2025 version of Snow White, to be fair, Disney's live-action remake of its first animated picture, has received mixed reviews from the audience. The remake tried its best to be accepted as a feminist film and one that promotes woman empowerment while balancing the old and the new. I watched the film with a grain of salt and kept my logical mind aside—at least, I tried to! However, I could only fathom the discourse of its nurture to a certain extent. In this review, I go deeper into the intricacies of empowerment, fantasy and the performances the film encompasses.
By Hridya Sharma10 months ago in Critique
Chapter II: The Optics of the Soul
The gallery smelled of varnish and dust, a kind of hideout for creative things. Ivan Nikolayevich stood still in front of the Magritte painting, *The False Mirror*. He felt like his fingers had been unwittingly strumming some invisible instrument. The eye in the painting was huge and never blinked. The swirling blue iris seemed like the sky overhead filled with clouds and completely unsure about answering questions. Encapsulated in the glass was Ivan's whirling stream of consciousness; he couldn't help but wonder if this eye was a portal, or if just the opposite was true, another trap entangling him in another dubious reality. He cycled through the question- is it more advantageous to know a real sheeple world, or to wish it to be something else entirely? Did it really even matter? He could see his own tired, bloodshot eyes in the glass and questioned what person he was in relation to the artwork engulfed in both separate mirrors. There lay two Ivans, one searching for dream awareness and another person desperate to meet the day, the absolute vacant spirit.
By LUCCIAN LAYTH10 months ago in Critique
𝙱𝚁𝙸𝙽𝙶𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙻𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃 𝙱𝙰𝙲𝙺 𝚃𝙾 𝙻𝙸𝙵𝙴
𝙱𝚁𝙸𝙽𝙶𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙻𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃 𝙱𝙰𝙲𝙺 𝚃𝙾 𝙻𝙸𝙵𝙴 𝙸𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚖𝚒𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝙰𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚜𝚢-𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚟𝚢 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚜, 𝚒𝚗𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚞𝚙𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚓𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚗𝚜 𝙾! 𝚂𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚏𝚏 𝚑𝚞𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙 𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚒𝚛, 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝙸𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚙𝚞𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜; 𝚄𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚏𝚏𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚘 𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝙾! 𝙻𝚘𝚘𝚔! 𝚃𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝, 𝙰 𝚜𝚞𝚋𝚍𝚞𝚎𝚍 𝚙𝚊𝚗𝚐, 𝚊 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚜𝚎, 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚘𝚗, 𝙰𝚗𝚍 ,𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚏 , 𝚒𝚗 𝚌𝚞𝚝-𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚢, 𝚗𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚜𝚎, 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 : 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚈𝚎𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚜 𝚊 𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑, 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚗, 𝙰 𝚠𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚠 𝚊𝚏𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚜, 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚢— 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚞𝚙 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚒𝚗, 𝚖𝚢 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚒𝚝’𝚜 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜, 𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝚘𝚗 𝚃𝚑𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢, 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚌𝚕𝚒𝚙𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚝’𝚜 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚟𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚊 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚜𝚘 𝚜𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚙𝚞𝚗 𝚃𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝, 𝚖𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝, 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚏𝚕𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚜, 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚔𝚜 𝚒𝚝’𝚜 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜’ 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚖 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚘𝚏, 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙸 𝚜𝚑𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚞𝚙, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 —𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 —𝚏𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚝𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚝𝚑?! 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚎𝚌𝚑 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚞𝚙 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑, 𝚊 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚏𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚑𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝙰𝚗𝚍, 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚏, 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙 𝚒𝚗 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜, 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚍𝚞𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜, 𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚡𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚜 𝙱𝚞𝚝, 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎, 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚕𝚊𝚞𝚗𝚝 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚋𝚢, 𝙸 𝚍𝚘 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚕𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙𝚘𝚗 𝚄𝚗𝚜𝚊𝚢𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎, 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚜, 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚞𝚗𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚜 , 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚛 𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚎 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚗. 𝚈𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚞𝚙𝚘𝚗, 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢 𝚒𝚝’𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚐𝚎, 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚟𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚗𝚜… 𝚃𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝, 𝙸 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚗 …. 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚛 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚟𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚍 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 ‘𝚃𝚒𝚜 𝚀𝚞𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝, 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚊𝚢: 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚎𝚍... 𝚈𝚎𝚜, 𝙸𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 —𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑, 𝚖𝚢 𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚗; 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜, 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚕𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚢𝚐𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜 ! 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜, 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚐, 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚘𝚌𝚔 𝚘𝚗 ! 𝙲𝚛𝚞𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚘, 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚛𝚞𝚏𝚏𝚕𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙𝚘𝚗 , 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢—𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚜, 𝚍𝚞𝚐 𝚞𝚙 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚜, 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢, 𝚖𝚢 𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚗𝚘 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚢, 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚐𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚈𝚎𝚜, 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚞𝚙𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗𝚜, 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚞𝚕𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚜 𝚃𝚊𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚎—𝚜𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍… 𝙾! 𝙻𝙸𝙵𝙴 …𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚍 𝚜𝚕𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚗, 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚠𝚒𝚏𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚒𝚡 𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘 𝚋𝚞𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚒𝚏 𝚒𝚗 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚍𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚏𝚊𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚢 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 …. 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍, 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚝𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚛𝚞𝚗𝚜 𝙾𝚗𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚖𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚑𝚜 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍, 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚖𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚍 —𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚏 ‘𝚝𝚠𝚊𝚜 “𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚎𝚍.” 𝚃𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 , 𝚆𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚢 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚕, 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 —𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚛’𝚜 𝚙𝚞𝚗 𝚂𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚜𝚘 , 𝚞𝚗𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚗, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚡𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚎𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚗 ; 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚕 —𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢—𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎 — 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎, 𝚖𝚢 𝚆𝙸𝙻𝙻, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚗 𝚋𝚞𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢 𝚜𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 ,𝚔𝚒𝚌𝚔- 𝚋𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚙𝚞𝚗 —𝚊 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚛𝚞𝚗! 𝚂𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍, 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛; 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢, 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝙲𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚕𝚢, 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚆𝙸𝙻𝙻 —𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕, 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚢 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚜’ 𝚖𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗, 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 as if 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚒𝚝𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 o𝚞𝚝𝚕𝚒𝚟ed 𝚒𝚝𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 to be 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 … 𝚈𝚎𝚊𝚑! 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚠𝚎 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚊𝚕𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚙𝚞𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚆𝚑𝚢—𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚜, 𝙾! 𝙻𝚘𝚛𝚍, 𝚜𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚊 𝚆𝙸𝚂𝙴 𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚗? 𝙾𝚏 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚗’𝚜 𝚐𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚢— 𝙿𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚊 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚢 𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝙾𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝙸𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 ? 𝚈𝚎𝚜, 𝚒𝚝’𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 —𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎, 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚒𝚝’𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚢, 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚠𝚜 𝚒𝚝𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚂𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍; 𝚒𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎, 𝚝𝚘𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍… 𝚃𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 ?! 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗, 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚜 𝚙𝚒𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍; 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚢 𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝙾𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚍... 𝙸𝚗 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚟𝚊𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚒𝚝 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚞𝚙, 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚞𝚙, 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 —𝚗𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚈𝚎𝚜 , 𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚡𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚝’𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚎 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚖𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚞𝚙𝚘𝚗, 𝙸 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚠𝚕𝚢 𝙱𝙾𝚁𝙽 .... 𝙿𝚕𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚜, 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚈𝚎𝚜, 𝚏𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚎𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚝 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 ,𝚖𝚢 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚛, 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚜 𝚖𝚎 , 𝚝𝚑𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢, 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍! 𝚈𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚓𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚌𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚖𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚋𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚋𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚑, 𝚊𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚖𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚢 — 𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚎, 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔 𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎 —𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗, 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝚘𝚗! © ✍️ 𝙼𝚊𝚍𝚑𝚞 𝙶𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚝𝚒 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚑 𝟸𝟽𝚝𝚑 , 𝟸0𝟸𝟻
By Madhu Goteti 10 months ago in Critique
Fast and Dirty Editing - Pre-Prepared, Pre-Packaged Pleasure
So I thought as a last entry for the Self-Editing Epiphany Challenge, I'd partake in what I am calling "Fast and Dirty Editing". What do I mean by "Fast and Dirty Editing"? Well, rather than drill down into the dos and don'ts of writing poetry, or worry about the format (aside from any formatting rules that need to be applied) I am going to take an existing piece I wrote for the Tautogram challenge, but published it too late to be accpeted for the challenge, from a couple of years ago. I am then going to decimate it, without labouring over it too much, and go through the changes as I make them in this critique.
By Paul Stewart10 months ago in Critique
Beauty In The Mess
When I write, I usually tend to type the whole thing up on my laptop, and then make passes over the same document to edit. As a result, I am not in the habit of keeping my rough drafts. For this prompt I thought, where's something where I've left behind evidence of the process itself , both the beauty- the final product- and the mess that final product wouldn't exist without? One is not possible without the other, but it took some searching to find evidence of the latter anywhere.
By Raistlin Allen10 months ago in Critique
The Path of Hearts or Pentacles
“Hey man.” Warren grabbed the forearm of his friend Matt, who was the beer bearer for the 40th birthday party. “So, what’s on tap tonight?” queried Warren. Always proud of his artisanal beer, Matt was keen to explain his choice of hops and malts to anyone willing to listen. He had pursued his dream and had landed on his feet, as head brewer for a local pub. He was always pleased to strut his stuff. As they spoke other friends celebrating their spring birthdays joined the party on the last day of May, 2025.
By Katherine D. Graham10 months ago in Critique
Getting Legless With Drunk Aliens - Editing A Winning Poem
For this entry into the Self-Editing Epiphany, I wanted to do something a little strange. It’s easy, in some ways, to look back at pieces we know were flawed because they didn’t get well received or didn’t place in a challenge or competition. But what about those pieces that did have success—ones that not only placed in a challenge but came first place? Could any editing, especially with time passed and experience gained since the piece was published, improve upon a winning poem?
By Paul Stewart10 months ago in Critique
Filtering Free Verse Poems Through Form. Runner-Up in Self-Editing Epiphany Challenge.
Mainly writing in free verse, can make you think you are so much more free than writing in strict forms. But I have found that when under constraints of rhymes and rhythm, magic can happen. Imagery you would never have come up with yourself, lyrical music that makes reading a pleasure and a challenge to cut out the excess to find the true meaning you want to say.
By Dark Constellations10 months ago in Critique
