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12/8/2017 3:19:30 PM Jerry Hackett Posts: 4	Ellen's Old Tree It was crumbling brick and decaying wood The front porch where we once stood The years were hard and all too many Now even gone was the hidden penny Yet, in the back, the tree stood still With time engrained sturdy will It held a memory of another and me Its where I carved J.H. + E.D. On the day we left that mark The sky first grayed and then went dark The clouds held back until we were done Then hastily, hastily, we had to run I walked the still worn path to peek And see if the letters still did speak I touched the bark and studied it so The scars were there from so long ago The sky it grayed as I left our tree When a boy ‘n girl floated past me In one hand was his destined life And in the other a rusty jack knife
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12/14/2017 1:02:05 PM Stephen Wilson-Floyd Posts: 49	I'm not a fan of rhyme generally, but I found the lines held their own. It is a simple story, with a meaning, at least to me, that the speaker's time of dating is over, but there is a new couple. There is some nice description here and little generalization, which is good. Thank you for sharing. Best wishes!
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12/30/2017 12:04:53 PM levi johnson Posts: 15	In terms of your rhyme scheme, the main skill I focus on is how well it flows with the content and how natural it is. If the rhymes are too simple or tend to not make sense, it hurts your work. Take the 3 and 4th line of your 2nd stanza. The end rhymes of me and E.D. seems simple and just a bit awkward. Perhaps if you used a name, it would flow better and become more personal for the reader. Rhymes generally don't help your content a lot, so you need a solid concept or story first, sometimes rhymes add music to the story and sometimes they don't. I use rhyme scheme is most of my work as well, but I'm constantly editing for a natural flow. Second, your ability to bring imagry to the reader is well done with your adjectives. To me, this is the real strength of this work and something to build on for the future. Third, in terms of conveying emotion, you begin to do so, but don't complet it. Take "The sky first grayed and then went dark" This seems to just be a description of the day. But, if you say in your heart, rather than just dark, you get your reader emotionally involved. HAVE A GREAT DAY
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