Words

[KatBrown]

Hi Kat, nice to see you posting after some really thoughtful critiques -- thanks for those!

From this poem it's evident that you have a natural ear for rhythm, which can be improved by learning about meter. Without music to hide any flaws, poetry really needs meter to make sure the rhymes fall in the right places.

Here goes nothing...as I make this first post I'm reminded of a T.V. show I used to watch as a kid called Hogan's Heroes and like Sergeant Scholtz used to day, "I know nothing"

WORDS

They’re just words, right?
Words of endearment, words of strife
Words that impale you, words that are trite
Words that are creative, cunning and coy -- the repetition gets a bit much here -- my suggestion would be "creative words, so cunning and coy"
Chock full of meaning, or empty and void -- "chock full" is an idiom that's out of place here; it would be nice to see something else

Words don’t have power or energy or force -- "energy" gives you a syllable too many here, with an odd emphasis. You can fix this by rearranging it to: "Words don't have energy, power or force"
Until they’re seen, until they’re spoken, until they’re given a voice -- and this line is just too long -- you could try "til" instead to fix it a little, but your next couple of lines are running long as well and you're losing the rhythm
They’re just constructs of letters, til they’re spoken and heard
At second glance, I guess they are more than words

They’re the start of a thing or its demise
The rendering of ideas, the welcomed surprise
The wishing on a star where we enter make believe
And a loved one’s last thoughts as they find sweet relief -- this stanza works nicely -- it could be tighter but it's ok to leave it alone until you get more of a handle on how meter works

Think before you speak, or so we’ve been told
Very good advice from those who’ve grown old
Given by people who know all too well
Words have the power to cast a dark spell -- dangerously close to cliche territory

And seldom do words fall on deaf ears
And the heart’s not impenetrable, it’s easily pierced
So choose your words wisely, for their impact remains
A source of inspiration or an indelible stain

Cool! I'm gonna grab these tips and rework the piece and see how it turns out. Thanks for the feedback!