When you said "Gummy fish heads," my brain instantly thought that was their consistency after being cooked or something. Thank you for not letting it be that. 🤣 That all sounds lovely though. :)

Well now I don't like you because you have a super cool sewing machine! LOL I didn't think of it weakening the paper.

That is so great! They look incredible!!!

That looks great! Yeah, sewing machine don't like going through too many pieces of paper, unless you have one of those commercial ones that will punch through anything!

Thank you. You really understood exactly when I was going for. I am glad you understood it okay, I'm not used to writing with super long sentences like this, and I wasn't sure if it worked or not. Thanks!

Paradice Lost is like a novel, but a poem! LOL It is a great example of more modern epic long form poetry. I also wasn't really sure about how to write it, but I found this video by a university, and it seems like he knows what he is talking about. https://youtu.be/TmwuGQIgj9A?si=x-U6dHqcu34WuExV

I am actually going to ask for a bit of feedback on this one. I don't care how good it is, I was just wondering if I got the form more or less right? I watched a video talking about Blank Verse and they said it should be written in very long sentences, they used Paradice Lost as an example.

No matter what you choose, it will be nowhere near a kindergarten project to people who see it, so no worries about that. Typeface is something where the more you know about it the more time you spend unsure about what to use. Honestly love choosing just the right typeface (at least, I always hope it is) when I am working on a book cover. It has so much meaning.

Sounds like the making of your chap book is becoming its own adventure. :D

I LOVE IT! "Grammar's bite" did feel a little too personal for me. LOL

I really like this, you did a great job expressing the emotions with the limitations of the tanka. Lovely work. The tanka is maybe my favorite poetry form, and not just because I am an Otaku (a huge anime and manga nerd), but I like how the limitation makes your rethink storytelling. I like haiku as well, but they are maybe a bit too short sometimes. I do like using haiku to sum up a longer form poem.

This is such a beautiful tribute to everyone behind the scenes in our lives. It is so well said, and just lovely.

Well, you sure decided to go out on a high note. Such a great way to write for the prompt of our time through this challenge. So wonderful <3

Totally agree, it is also very universal for me as well.

I'm glad, I felt like I was stretching it a bit too much with that trying to get the rhyme. LOL

Just posted WAY too many poems in the finished poems thread. LOL

Title: Good with Evil With the touch of unknown cursed blessings, humans rise like the dead of the future to come as they crawl across the land, scourge upon the forests of the gods untouched to view their use in the task of building the world into a good that will overcome the beasts that dwell upon the claimed world ungiven but owned by rights of the good for all who are worthy, decided with eyes glazed with the lust of power over all seen before them, power granted in acts of cruel, power granted for claims of good in a world yet to be tamed. Through the claims of good, evil comes with its fist of steel, wood, and stone as man tortures the world to break its will, its body into one that suits their for the purpose of good, as though the world has no use but to give its body over to be raped by the mines of progress and the butches by the cleavers hungry to feed the never ceasing jaws of civilization, screaming with howling winds of pain, struggling with mighty waves crash against rigs of steel, quaking with the rolling torment of a body trying to extinguish the flames of progress, as the human disease persists in its acts of good. Quiet rings through the world's empty peace as the axes of past rang for centuries with their mutilating blows no more swung in these lands now scatted with the bleached bones of disease no more, as scorched grounds green with new life's scabs grow new flesh of a world now pure with skies washed with rains for time unknown as waters flow with the memories of battles lost and won, with the passing moon life anew crawls from scares healed over sun's cycle of care the world breathes life free of civilizations good. Author: Gallagher Green

Title: Somewhere We Wait I know I love you… or I will love you once I have found you because I know you are somewhere and waiting in knowing like I am. Months of loss Years of longing Decades of love. I hold no faith of a god in my heart only the faith of your existence in the world prayers to be heard in your dreams as I hear yours in mine. Even if death finds me before we find each other I will go content and happy because you are there somewhere. In this world we wait. Your gentle breath in wind's touch. Whisper our love notes. Author: Gallagher Green

Title: Hidden Words In expectations of life not all words exist hiding knowing from my soul. Existence in nonexistence in the words unsaid to erase what has always been. You try to hide me hide my people by hiding the words of existence. I still move forward strength build carrying the weight of our expectations. Without words I found the path forward through your minefields and attacks With scarred fingers we dig ourselves to the surface after you buried us. In your hiding us we found ourselves in those hidden before us. You made us strong when you pushed us together we found community. I have learned your hidden words I speak them loud with my people. Those that come next into this world will hear the words I speak. Author: Gallagher Green

Title: Because of You You. Because. Before now. Fear didn't come. Life was easy then. Now you lie against me. You make me want to cause pain. Tense with fear of what I am now. A monster crawls slow under my skin. Your heat on my skin makes me want to kill. I had no fear before your love found me. Fear comes while you sleep in this dark world. True love made a monster of me. I'm here for you, to love you. One soul in two bodies. Time silent hunter. Hunter unseen. Fear persists. I love. You. Author: Gallagher Green