The Unspeakably Familiar

[Philatone]

hey! arriving a bit late, but hopefully can offer 1 or 2 things...

Early twilight frost hardening ...as an intro, the sounds grab more than the actual words for me. I think "early" is the weakest part
plangent to imperative; ...the "plan" sound isn't all that pleasing to me; in terms of acoustics, this line stumbled a bit whereas the first line went smoothly
language learnt to clutch and curve
him clear of double jeopardy.

...not sure how I feel about the transition from stanza to stanza

Shadow boxers bob and weave,
hide and seek the scripted fall ...minor note: a part of me expected the verbs to stop, rather than keep coming with "hide and seek". the line is a bit meta--it gives a straight description, rather than really getting in on the action. i'm being told everything. the sense of conflict does emerge
softened by linoleum;
the sting of an averted cheek
stained a dark and bitter flame
discolouring chameleon. ...this line is interesting; i'm not sure how to take it. I'm seeing a disguise of some sort being cast aside, or just a bruise forming. the beats feel a bit off if there is a meter, but may just be how i am reading it

Boiler bubbles, dripping tap,
carol singers, hiss of gas,
brown sideboard, aspidistra;
squeeze a bauble, tear a picture,
pilfer happy thoughts and crush
the unspeakably familiar. ...trouble at home? again, reiterates the conflict; well done. I feel as though the momentum gained by this stanza (nice job on the word choices and flow) would have worked nicely if it were closer to that "shadowboxing" image from the previous stanza. this stanza does feel like the strongest