Alaeha

Welcome back!

*Hugs* I apologize... No offense was intended in my statements. I was simply commenting on the idea of Congratulations. (And the innuendo was unintentional... I didn't even realize it was there until just now, having read the latest posts on the thread. My apologies for that, as well.)

Myself, I would think that one would want condolences, rather than congratulations if they were turned into a male... Women get the shaft physically, and Men are regarded by society as being slime. Pick your poison? Congratulations on being Accepted!

Well, to continue the Pi trend... 1,5,9

Security is like sanity or beauty... So many people want it, and so few have it. Every person requires a different amount. And like sanity and beauty, I expect I also lack security.

I'm afraid that I've no vast stores of knowledge to share, Salinye... I really like these... They certainly put my poor example to shame. And I really like yours, Peredhil, if I may say so... Sorry if life's being busy though. *Hugs to all*

Just like the previous one, in fact (except of course that they're completely different) But if anyone wants to take over the position, feel free... I'm only doing it because no one else has. Anyway... I'll stick with rhyme for this one. Let's say... At least three stanzas of Terza Rima... And to make it more interesting, try to loop it a bit so that your middle line in the last stanza rhymes with the first line of the first stanza. Terza Rima is ABA BCB CDC DED etc etc etc. Here's Challenge Number two, so take it if you can. Your friends should try it too! The other day I ran a question past my friends, and all of my own clan. I asked when teen-dom ends. The answers came, then flew beyond the pathway's bends. (I apologize. It's absolutely horrible, but it should give you some idea of the form... And I'm being hurried here... don't have much time. Have fun with it!)

Happy Birthday!

Wow... If not for the fact that I've never even spoken to you in real time, I could swear you'd ripped that out of my head about three months ago (maybe four) and just now posted it... Oh well. If it helps any, I know how you feel... Absolutely terrified, if you're like me in that one... You can always talk at me, if you'd like. (That applies to everyone, of course...) *Hugs*

How about very nicely done? Seriously... I rather envy you your ability to pump out what seems like at least a poem a day and maintain this level of quality. And this poem in particular I like a lot... regret over wasted time is never easy to deal with...

Hmm... for the purposes of flow, I'd suggest that you change "twas" to "it was" in "twas like a pure white page". I've... got mixed feelings on this one... It's the whole "victim" thing, I think. The fact that someone regrets something doesn't necessarily excuse their loss of self-control, or the injuries they give another person... Particularly if it's someone they love... It's a good poem... (Sorry... I've a nasty little habit of posting my thoughts on stuff here, when they come up. I think it's because people don't take it you seriously if you're not an adult and you're talking about something like that face to face, so they can't forget the age difference... The "What would you know?" attitude)

*Laughs* I like that! I do apologize, though, if I was out of place in issuing the challenge/assignment thingy. *Shudders* I abhor the idea of being a "boss" though... I'd much rather not have to order anyone else around, and not be ordered around myself... Alas, real life interferes.

Started this out to just be another poem, and three lines into it, I looked and saw the potential for an acrostic... So I wrote that. And if this seems darker than usual... That's probably because it is. I've been a bit depressed for the past few days. Despair Devoid of all warmth, and cut off from the world, Empty of hope, left (by choice) all alone. Surrounded by joy until slowly he's curled Pleadingly, to a ball, begging not to be shown. All around him, his family, just wanting to aid In his "trouble" are helpless, for they've never known, Really, what's in his life, it was never displayed. To be saved from depression? A kind, wishful thought Rarely found by the one most in need. It is fortunate, though, for but few ever fought Until Darkness gave way and they truly were freed. Many more just give in, 'tis an easier way, Pain is tolerable after time. Having seen brighter light, having known happy day, Shall I ever write happier Rhyme?

Heh, I know how you feel. I started out writing a poem about a happy subject once... Wandering through mazelike streets with a good friend. Between the depressed mood of the morning and my style, it wound up being one of the most dark and gloomy pieces I've written, having nothing at all to do with friends or streets. *Hugs* Don't worry, it's a good poem even if it isn't happy.

That's about what I was thinking... Not fair! You took my comments away! You thought thief! Anyway, I really wish more people could understand that last bit... The decision to love... It takes conscious effort sometimes. Needless to say, I really like this.

That one would be "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush", unless I'm mistaken... Am I?

Yeah... I guess I should follow suit. I've had so many people mispronounce my name... It's uh-lay-ha. Not uh-lay-uh, not uh-lee-uh. The H is not silent. Of course, the way I spell my name, it's understandable for people to have a hard time with it.

Actually, Cliches are plotlines that are overdone, overly used phrases, etc. An example of a more "true" cliche would be "like the plague". Generally speaking, you should always avoid cliches like the plague. They are, after all, old hat.

No... this is certainly not a "feel good" story. Oh well. I can't write happy stuff. It's a really good story... It could, perhaps, be made a little better by being told in the Aorist Tense (Simple past tense), Rather than the Pluperfect (Completed past tense). The difference is that in Aorist it's "He fell", rather than "He had fallen" It seems to jump back and forth a bit between the two... But otherwise I can't think of anything bad. I like the way you implied that the guy believes himself to be superhuman, above the people around him.

Looks good! (Don't worry about the extra one... I'd only said two because you can't really get to be any good at something if you only write one. And besides... the hard part is writing the first unit. The first line in any given rhythm, the first stanza with a certain rhyme scheme, etc.)

If you're interested, of course. Let's make this one simple... Write two quatrains. The Rhyme Scheme for that would be ABAB CDCD or ABBA CDDC (or some combination of the two styles... It doesn't matter. ABAB is more common, though, and seems to flow better for the most part) Whether you write with a Meter is optional. It can be a Clerihew (Quatrain with no rhythm) if you'd like. A- A poem is not something easily made B- if you lack skill, or can't find the words A- to express what you think. Then, it's not even paid B- well enough to get meals for the birds! C- But if you have the talent or practice to write D- one that flows and still tugs at the strings C- of the hearts of your readers, you've done something right. D- For a time, your soul will fly on wings. I apologize for this... it's not really that good, but it's an example I put together on the fly. (My English Teacher needs to stop assigning us Sonnets and other such things that are written in Iambic Pentameter... It screws me up when I try to write in Anapests)

I could issue a poetic challenge or two... I'm somewhat well-versed in the rules of poetry. Just watch out... one of these days I may challenge you to write a Petrarchan Sonnet.

Well, Couplets (AA) and Quatrains (ABAB/ABBA) seem to be pretty well expressed, so I shall (attempt to) explain poetic "feet", and meter. The most common form of "foot" is the Iamb, which is a pair of syllables where the stress is placed on the second one. An example of an Iamb would be "Today", where the emphasis goes on Day, rather than To. Shakespeare is the most famous example of Iambs. He wrote in Iambic Pentameter. "The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones." A Trochee is the opposite... Two syllables with the emphasis on the second one. Such as "Daily", or "Dang it". I don't know of many people who write in trochees... they're not easy to write in. Can't even think of a good example for you offhand... An Anapest is sort of like an extended Iamb. It's two unemphasized syllables followed by one stressed. I'm rather fond of Anapests myself. I wrote Body Art in a slightly modified Anapestic Tetrameter, for example. Dactyls are to Anapests as Trochees are to Iambs. Or they are to Trochees as Anapests are to Iambs, if you prefer. They are made of One stressed syllable followed by two unstressed. Dactyls are hard to right in for the same reason as trochees... It's hard to end a line in the offbeat. Particularly if you rhyme. The last form of foot is the Spondee. You should never try to write a long line in pure spondees, because a spondee is a foot with two syllables. Both are stressed. It gets ugly. The rest is easier to explain. A line in Bimeter has two feet. A line in Trimeter has three, and Tetrameter four. It goes on like that through Pentameter, Hexameter, Heptameter, Octometer, somethingorotherthatIdon'tremember for nine, and dittostheprevious for ten. But if you're writing lines that long, something's probably wrong with you. I'll stop now and let someone else comment...

Good story... I'm a bit confused by the bit about Opening the Screendoor, since she couldn't touch the person and can walk through walls, but that's simple enough to edit out in revision... And I've done worse. Having my swords saying "CLANG!" as they strike eachother comes to mind. I wonder... Was this Karen girl the same one that wrote the book? Or did someone else function as a ghost writer for her? (Sorry, random little cutesy thought)

Or perhaps the wonderful people are not on the "good" side. There are always good people on both sides of any conflict, if you can find them... Or, perhaps, alas was chosen because it seemed to fit better than anything else and was at least an imperfect rhyme for laugh. It has been known to happen. But either way, it is a good poem... An interesting twist at the end, as was already said... Whatever the purpose of the Alas, at least it makes people think!