02-04-2019, 09:33 AM
(02-04-2019, 02:13 AM)Richard Wrote: Winter OdeTaking the spoiler into account, concentrating on meter and rhyme rather than exact meaning or punctuation...
Our neighbors' windows frozen shut,
their boring groaning gone for now,
behind an icy shroud so devout problematic line for meter and rhyme. "ice" instead of "icy" would fix the meter, but "devout" is so critical to theme of the verse (or whole poem) that a better idea might be to go back and find a replacement for "shut" in L1 that rhymes with it... in fact, to re-engineer the whole line for that purpose.
that god himself would have to bow. Since you capitalize Sunday, and this is apparently a singular god, the word should probably be capitalized.
You steal the blanket once again,
my elbows colder than goodbyes
bewailed on knees among amens, similar situation to V1, first line of the verse would be easier to change than "amens."
your thoughtful prayers a warm disguise.
I shovel freshly fallen snow,
but you would never on Sunday- a missing foot here for regular meter - for example, "stir" before "Sunday." Maybe "for" or "since" instead of "but," too.
the shine allowed to stay and glow perhaps "its" instead of "the" (pardon my personal hobbyhorse)
as neighbors judge our blocked driveway. another missing foot - for example, "drifted" instead of "blocked."
The first verse is tough, specifically the first line. The answer may be something with "shout" or "about," and the solution may involve L2 as well (without altering its end-rhyme). V2 can probably be fixed more easily by making the last word plural (though not "agains").
Hope that helps.
Non-practicing atheist

