04-18-2018, 11:17 PM
(04-18-2018, 09:44 PM)wesliewilkin Wrote: Hey guys! Any comments/suggestions are greatly appreciated!There is an issue here which I'll address in P.S. below, since it may or may not be a proper subject for basic critique.
My mind is bursting with ideas, In this verse, you might consider changing all the verbs to simple present tense, though your structure has merit in establishing a characteristic voice.
My heart is overflowing with passion
I cannot wait another minute,
I’ve got to put my thoughts into action.
Kids are being shot each day, A problem with the passive voice is that it obscures the actor (who's doing the shooting?)
And the solution’s coming slow Only one solution? This is a pitfall with using "the" - it implies there's only one.
I have hundreds of ideas on what we can do I get dinged all the time for shifting from first person singular to plural when the reader does not really want to be spoken for - perhaps some background on why the speaker is typical would be in order.
And I want everyone to know.
I have strong ideas on practically everything, Strong ideas, or strong opinions? Avoiding repeat of "ideas" here would leave room for a stronger (g) characterization of your concepts
From gun control to our politicians
I want to be making a difference Another point where simplification might strengthen - "I want to make...?"
I have so much mental ammunition. A beautiful turn here, particularly if it's self-reflective (see p.s.)
But I’m stuck and I feel so useless,
Too young to do much at all
I cannot stand to waste another minute, This line, with the next, express a solid thought - action vs. waiting for the right moment. "cannot stand to" verges on cliche. And also sharpens the tension (see p.s.)
Waiting for opportunity to call. Good avoidance of cliche here - "call" instead of "knock."
I know I’m still young, with my whole life ahead of me, could the "life ahead of me" cliche be replaced with something a bit more striking, that brings out the substantial amount of time remaining in the speaker's life?
And you might think it’s strange see if you like "so" in place of "[A]nd" to integrate with the rest of this verse
But I’ve got to take action, I’m done sitting and waiting, is the second "I'm" necessary?
I’ve got to make a change Think about a stronger closer here (and, trivially, a period)
First, a typographic note: on this board many consider it archaic to capitalize each line-beginning word regardless of other rules (sentence, proper names, etc.). I hold this is mostly fashion over substance, but it can make sentences easier for the reader to parse. You might see how your poem looks with only sentence-beginning capitalization. (Or you could go full-bore e.e.cummings, but that's a bit radical even here.)
Please take the bolded comments above as suggestions rather than demands or disapprovals. In basic critique, this expresses a consistent spirit, mood, and tone: what some might call irregular or missing rhythm comes through as urgency and naivete.
As you edit, place use of "the" and "-ing" under suspicion: doing without except when really required (a priest, the Pope) could possibly smooth the flow as well as providing opportunities for more striking simple verb forms.
Thanks for posting!
Non-practicing atheist

