09-15-2026, 10:04 PM
(09-15-2026, 07:50 PM)milo Wrote:Ridiculous, there would be footnotes on every classic poem and half of us would argue with those.(09-15-2026, 02:15 PM)busker Wrote:(09-15-2026, 09:56 AM)ouroboros Wrote: I love this work! The last stanza really ties everything together and brings together your message. The only thing throwing me off is your first sentence, but I'm not really sure why. I feel as if "Because I loved you there/London's precious to me" reads as partially rushed and the rhythm isn't as developed as some of your other brilliant rhymes. I'm a very amateur writer, so please take this critique with a grain of salt! Keep up the lovely work.Hi Ouroboros - thanks for the crit
The first line is “because I once loved you there”, which fits the metre. Dropping the once would I agree make the line clumsy and awkward.
It is good you mentioned that because I would naturally read it as:
beCAUSE ionceLOVED you
You should include the correct pronunciation in a little author's note section at the bottom.

I read it as:
beCAUSE i ONCE LOVED you THERE
LONdon's PRECiuos to ME.
The POEMS WRITten aBOUT you THERE
were REALly LETters to ME.
This reads smoothly and slowly to me. There are so many exceptions (which I still can't keep straight) to standard meter, whether or not they're found here doesn't effect my read as these lines have a beautiful, wistful pace for me. If anything, for me "once" prevents a singsong feel that I think would lessen the opening.

