Echoes on the Breeze

This was authentic, Paul... You, opening up on the page to express true feelings of loss and how it feels to realize the finality of it all. Outstanding work, my friend. So glad it was recognized!

Beautiful poesy, Paul! Congratulations on the win!

Oh friend, congratulations! This is so well-deserved. This is so, so incredibly heartfelt. You express the complicated mix of grief, regret, and love in a way that feels honest and human. I’m really glad you shared this and that it made it to the top!

But in that harvest Of imperfection I scythed and yielded Fruits of consequence Returns of lessons I wish we could have learned Together ... Those memories I will gather In the storehouse Within my soul These are my favorite lines, but I love the whole thing, start to finish. What a poignant piece, Paul. To struggle so much with that father-son relationship in life, and to see it fade in death more permanently...I cannot put myself in that position but I can imagine the pain. Immense. You portray it with heart and truth here---incredibly moving. I love the change we see in the speaker from the beginning to the end; a marker of a great poem. Just all around, a fantastic entry and clear winner! I know it was emotional to write (how could it not be?) but I hope this win renews your faith just a little. Cheers, my friend, and I'll be celebrating here across the ocean!

This is so you, I'd have known it without your name, that rawness and frankness and tenderness all together.

Done in true Paul style - raw and to the meat of the matter, nostalgia in the bones. Well remembered, well oded. Congrats. We miss our fathers.

Congrats on the win! Look at you go! I hope this one is extra sweet after your struggles with the last one :) As for the writing, gorgeous as always and beautifully heavy. You certainly earned your spot at the top of the podium.

Paul, this was a tear-jerker, but oh, yes, so beautiful! "We never spoke as men As men with problems Men raised In systems designed To mould us Not to cry To keep it all down"- This part really hit hard, but I feel you put your heart and soul into this poem. Congratulations on your win❣👏👏🥳

Congrats Paul.

Do my eyes deceive me? 👀👀 This is the 25th challenge that you've placed in! Congratulations! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊 Paul 25. Dharrsheena 0 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

wonderful

Well, well, well.

I was clueless & uninspired regarding this challenge… Excellent poem… very emotive and insightful. I especially like: “ To think your death Was the thing I needed To understand I didn’t want to lose you”💖

Congrats on honourable mention this week, Papa Paul!!

Wooohooooo congratulations on your Leaderboard placement! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊

I loved how you used those long words to slow the pace down—it felt deliberate and divine. The little style shift in the line '...can't replace replicate' was really effective. That inverted phrase, '...long the days spent...,' was breathtaking. I could feel the emotions hitting me. The slant rhyme of 'Apart of you / Arrogance of youth' is brilliant. The way those two ideas connect makes the meaning so much richer and clearer. What impressed me most was your control. You paused your complex, masterful writing, and then you just let it all out—all the pain and regrets—without any metaphors or fancy language. You showed you could use those tools and then drop them perfectly on command. Even the simple progression in 'Now as the days and weeks become months, what happened in spring lingered in the autumn' was beautiful and thoughtful. It set up the next raw, honest feeling perfectly. It was outstanding. My absolute favorite part was your vulnerability. Oh, before I forget, congratulations on your leaderboard placement.🤗🖤❤️

congrats on your leaderboard placement, Paul!!

So gripping. I could feel the emotions.

I wondered when I read and reread the challenge instructions for Harvest of Memory what that might look like in a poem. Now I know. This is stunning tour de force of poesy and not even remotely self-indulgent. You have laid your soul bare in this with both wisdom and grace. Ans yes, yes, I know you routinely bare your soul for all. But this is different, it feels universal, Paul, a masterwork about the lack of connection/connection between fathers and sons. It would not surprise me to see this in the winner's circle. Good luck!

Remembering your father as your own life is now don't mean to be morbid here but slowly coming to end for we all start to remember things about them from their smile to their walk to the way they even talked. Your poem made me think of my own dad. Great work.

It would be a masterful piece on its own. Especially the mic drop stanza: "So I collect and hold fragments Fragments are all we become Whether the furnace or grave Is our final stop" But understanding the autobiographical nature gave this a whole other weight. In honor of the spirit of the poem and in defiance of the societal mold you're pushing back against, seemed fitting a tear should come to my eye. (But also, JEEZE, I have to compete with this for Harvest of Memory?! Good thing we didn't place any wagers on that challenge outcome)

Well-wrought, Paul. Raising a proverbial pint to the memory of my own pop!

A stunning heartfelt tribute to the complexities of family and legacy. Your honesty and emotional depth are truly felt.

This was packed with emotions, Sir Paul. Sending you lots of love and hugs ❤️

Oh wow. That had some powerful feelings to it. The part about, it took death to know I didn't want to lose you, I felt that. It really makes you think to savor the present, the now. Excellent work! I really enjoyed this one.