r/OCPoetry Mar 09 '22

Welcome to OCP -- PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

504 Upvotes

TL;DR You need to give feedback on two other poems before you can share your own poem, and then put links to that feedback in your post. If you don't know how to give feedback, read the guide. Reusing feedback links will result in a ban.

Heyo, welcome to OCpoetry. (That’s “original content” if you don’t know). This is a place for sharing and getting feedback on your own poems. We are the sister subreddit of r/Poetry, which is for sharing and discussing published poetry. Our goal is to create a place where anyone can learn to become a better creative writer, kind of like a free online writer's workshop.

This post is an orientation to the subreddit. If you’re new, read this before sharing your work. If you’re less new, then read this anyways, as it has a few changes to how we've done things in the past. If you’ve still got questions after reading this post, please send a modmail. There are some FAQs at the end of this post which will be updated as we go. We also have a huge and very disorganized wiki containing all of our resources, essays on how to write poetry and historic writing prompts, I recommend you check it out.

So, here’s basically how it works:

This subreddit works on a pay-it-forward system. If you want to share a poem, you need to give feedback to two others from this subreddit. This ensures that everyone gets some readers and hears some response, rather than just shouting their verses into the void. If you don’t think you’re up to writing feedback for others just yet, we recommend you check out r/Justpoetry or r/Poems, where there are no requirements for sharing your work.

1. All posts must include two links to recent feedback.

Every post must contain two unique links to your comments where you have provided feedback on this subreddit within the past two weeks. Feedback links cannot be reused for multiple post or reposts of old poems. All posts without feedback links will be removed, without notice by our subreddit robot so make sure they are included in your initial post -- you cannot post with the intent to add them later.

But, how do I get the links to my feedback comments?

That kind of depends on what platform you're on. If you're on desktop or on a third-party mobile app, there should be a 'share' or 'permalink' link underneath every comment on Reddit. Clicking on that should give you a unique URL to your comment. Just copy + paste that into the body of your post.

If you're on the official Reddit app, you'll have to click 'share' on the comment and choose the 'Copy URL' option, paste that into your notes with the body of your poem. Then copy and paste the entire thing into a new post on the Reddit app.

2. At least one of your comments should be on a poem that has received no other comments.

This ensures that everyone has a chance to get a few reads and hopefully some decent feedback. If for whatever reason you can’t find any lonely poems, then comment on the poem that seems to have received the least amount of feedback. The easiest way to do this is to sort posts by new.

3. Feedback must be high-effort.

High-effort means different things to different people. It does not mean “super long” or “expert quality”. But it does mean doing more than the bare minimum.

You don't have to complement, criticize, or try to figure out the "deeper meaning". You should try to notice your own reactions and explain them as best as you can. If you want to explain your interpretation or summary of the piece, you can and this is often helpful to the writer. If the poem made you laugh or cry, feel bored, confused or nostalgic — say so, and then explain why you think it did. A good rule of thumb is that each of your feedback comments should be at least a short paragraph.

We understand that giving other writers feedback on their creative work can feel a bit artificial or uncomfortable, if you’ve never done it before. That’s why we’ve written a feedback guide for beginners. There are more feedback guides linked in the FAQ below. You should also read some of the other feedback comments around the sub to get a feel for what works for others. Poems that link to low-effort feedback, and low-effort comments themselves, will be removed at mod discretion, or if you report it to us. However, we’re less interested in policing you and more interested in helping you grow as readers and writers. We are more likely to ask you follow-up questions, than remove your work entirely. The mods skulk the comments sections and will ask follow-up questions on comments that seem a little thin, and please answer those questions if you get any.

4. Please Be Kind.

Treat each other with kindness and respect. The mods have an incredibly strict definition for each of these concepts. We will proactively remove comments and poems and ban users that make others feel unwelcome or unsafe. Your right to creative expression does not extend to poetry that promotes misogyny, homo/trans/queerphobia, racism, etc. If your poetry’s especially violent or covers sensitive subjects, please label it with the NSFW tag or a content warning in the title. Harsh criticism is allowed -- encouraged, really -- as long as you’re being harsh on the poem, not the person. Remember that the narrator (or the “speaker”) of the poem is not necessarily the author.

5. Audio, video, and image poems are allowed; but the text of the poem must be included in the body of the post.

This is so that people can still enjoy your poem if they're unable to view or listen to your link for whatever reason.

6. You may include a link to your poetry blog at the end of your post.

Or your instagram, or your personal creative project, or your soundcloud, or your Etsy page. As long as it's poetry-adjacent that's cool with us. Just don't get spammy.

Attempting to dodge any of these rules, or abuse directed towards moderators enforcing these rules, will earn you an immediate ban.

FAQs

What do the Poem & Workshop flairs do?

They simply allow you to show your intentions and expectations for the piece you are posting. The Poem flair is for sharing a piece, with the expectation of receiving mostly surface-level feedback and general advice. The Workshop flair is for a piece that you really want to work on, something you want to pick apart and analyse. It signals that you are open to discussing the piece, and that you invite strong critique.

How do I format my poetry on Reddit?

The following is advice for formatting in Markdown. Two spaces at the end of a line gives you a line break.
Type two spaces at the end of a line, then hit enter twice for a stanza break.

Three dashes "___" will give you a line through the post.


Type two spaces to create an empty line,

so you can get lines

that look like this.

 Four spaces before each line will allow you 
to format however you like, this is 'code block' 
       in the Fancy Pants editor. 

one asterisk before and after a piece of text will give you italics, two asterisks for bold.

Can I print one of these poems out/use it on my instagram with my art/put it in my book?

Ask the author. Part of what makes this space a useful workshop space is that everyone feels safe to share their stuff; if people start using poetry without the author's permission, or god forbid, trying to pass off another artist's work as their own, the userbase of this sub will feel less safe to do so. Please, ask the author, and then do what they say.

I'm thinking about trying to get my poem published somewhere. What should I do?

The standard thing is to find a literary journal. There are a zillion literary journals and magazines all over the world. They have different themes, tastes, styles, audiences, readerships, levels of prestige. Some charge fees for submission, some do not, some will pay you if you get accepted, some don't, some will give you feedback, some won't let you know anything for months. So first you'll want to pick a few of your poems, get some feedback from some trusted readers (or from here, of course) and then start looking for a journal that's a good home for your work. Most lit journals have submissions periods where they accept all the work for their next issue, and then sift through everything they get.

You will probably get a lot of rejections. This is normal. It's kind of a numbers game. You can submit the same poem to multiple journals as long as the journal says something like "simultaneous submissions are allowed". If you do get accepted, congrats! Most journals want 'first publication rights' or 'first serial rights' or something similar, so that means you'll have to tell all the other journals you submitted that poem to that you've been published elsewhere. (For that reason we strongly recommend deleting your poem from reddit if you want to submit it to a journal -- technically and legally speaking, writing a post on reddit is still considered publishing your work, and reddit owns all the text on the site.)

Here are some places to get you started looking for journals:

Duotrope and Submittable are two apps that help you search for journals, and help you track what poems you've submitted to which places. Submittable is free, Duotrope is not. They are GREAT.

Poets & Writers has a list of lit journals, small presses, and writing contests. This is a great place to start. They also have a newsletter listing all the presses and journals going into their submissions period.

I'd also check out r/literarycontests, if you fancy yourself as a prize winning poet.

A few poetry podcasts

I thought I might include a few podcasts that helped me learn a little more about the history and craft of poetry, as well as find some good poets to read. All of these are available on Spotify, as well as many other platforms.

The New Yorker Poetry Podcast

A poet reading and discussing a poem from the New Yorker archives, as well as one of their own pieces. A great place to find good poetry and hear some discussion of craft. The earlier episodes are with Paul Muldoon, who is delightful.

The Faber Poetry Podcast

Two poets read and discuss their work, with plenty of talk about craft. As well as lots of poems sent in from authors across the world. They really get shoulder-deep into it, which is always wonderful to hear.

In Our Time

A group of experts are brought together to discuss a subject over forty-five minutes. This isn’t strictly a poetry podcast, but there are hundreds of episodes on poets and poems of the past. I highly recommend the episode on The Green Knight with Simon Armitage.

Homemade projects and useful links to our Wiki

The best of OCP

Collections of work from OCP, selected from the top karma earners of that year.

Year 1-3
Year 4 Year 5
Year 6

We/R/Poetry

A homemade journal created by the users and moderators of OCP.

Volume one
Volume two

Guides on the craft from our Wiki

Created by moderators of OCP through the years.

Poetry Primer
Bad Poetry
The Body Poetic
Poetry Hacks
A Brief History of Rhyme


r/OCPoetry 3h ago

Poetry Contest PROMPT: Rattle Ekphrastic Challenge, September 2026

3 Upvotes

Hi everyone. One of the OCPoetry mods here. Let's share a prompt for the whole subreddit.

Every month Rattle, a leading poetry magazine, presents a visual work of art and asks poets to respond to that artwork in poetry. This is called ekphrastic poetry. I thought it would be fun to post that here for anyone looking for inspiration or a challenge.

 

Here is this month's artwork. Your challenge is to write a poem in response to that art.

 

Normal feedback rules do not apply to this thread. Write and share as many poems in response to that artwork as you'd like.

 

Also, if you feel like you've written something really excellent, you should know that Rattle DOES allow you to submit poems to them for publication that have appeared in online forums. (Most magazines consider those already published; Rattle allows internet-shared poems as long as they're "uncurated," i.e., haven't gone through an editorial process. I can assure you that here on OCPoetry we do not have any kind of editorial process.) So if you're feeling particularly ambitious, you can use that link above to submit your poem to them. It's a long shot — they get hundreds of entries every month, maybe thousands at this point idk, and only two are selected — but it's good practice if you're thinking about getting into publication and can manage the mixture of pride in your work and almost certainty of rejection that goes into the literary magazine publication process.

 

Anyway, enjoy the challenge! I hope you have fun. If enough people enjoy this I can make it a regular thing.


r/OCPoetry 9h ago

Just Sharing Tame me slow

16 Upvotes

before you, i was just a fox in the sand,
another shadow, running wild and free,
no one to wait for, nothing to lose,
until you knelt down soft and asked to know me.

i used to think love was only a risk,
one rose among a thousand looking the same,
but the moment you learned my hours by heart,
i stopped being no one, you gave me a name.

yes, i could get hurt, yes, you could leave,
yes, forever's a thing nobody's sure of,
but a life with no one worth the losing,
Isn’t really a life, it's just waiting on love.

so tame me slow, i'm asking, i mean it,
come back the same hour, every single day,
let the risk be the cost of belonging,
i'd rather be broken than safe and okay.

maybe that's the whole secret to all of it,
it's not about someone flawless or rare,
it's choosing the same one, over and over,
till they're the only rose that you'd swear.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/1w43mqd/the_moon/

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/1w48dzz/part_time_ghost/


r/OCPoetry 3h ago

Feedback Please Lost little boy

5 Upvotes

I am a foolish little boy dressed
in a man’s clothes.
Baggy trousers, clown shoes,
a watch that can’t tell time.

Who let me out to play,
so green and impatient,
unready
to fight with the gladiators
or dance with the muses.

I’m clutching my knees
to my chest
and squawking
like a canary in danger.

I’m shouting nonsense
but dressing it in sense.

Unlike Napoleon
I don’t recover from my accidents,
although I do end up
alone on an island.

I’ve thrown all my sympathy tokens
Into a pit. I am pitiless.
I cried help too many times
when there wasn’t a fire.

I’m like a bad film
with a laugh track
that you can’t skip.

Chain me to a lamppost.
Write my address on my collar.
I’m looking for mother.

Mother is looking
for her lost little boy.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/UbqjYr0Jmv

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/6MDmTJ4VRE


r/OCPoetry 9m ago

Poetry Contest Poem duet challenge

Upvotes

The poem below covers the Sun's journey from sunrise to sunset. Drop a comment with the next lines from the Moon's perspective picking up right where I left off!

I wake the quiet earth with sudden light,
And wash away the remnants of the night.
I climb until the highest hills are small,
And cast a blazing shadow over all.
When day grows long, I paint the western skies,
And wrap the quiet world in dusk’s disguise.
My fire cools beneath the darkened crest,
And leaves the quiet sky for you to rest.

Please play along!

Links

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/9fzq1Xkx6f

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/lytMGnZnUG


r/OCPoetry 5h ago

Just Sharing To Today

4 Upvotes

I can't have all I want in life 
We know this to be true 
But perhaps I would be okay
If I could only just have you

The time forever spent with you
I'll hold the darkness back
But when we hold each other up
the foundation starts to crack

The lines begin to form
What seemed solid could give way
Problems that I see for tomorrow
I wouldn't wish upon today

So pretend today is all we have
And pray tomorrow never comes
And yesterday a forgotten place
Where today had once come from

And though they are just silly semantics
Still, the problems wash away
The looming threat of a new tomorrow
Will never sink this ship today 

I have you
And you have me 
Maybe that's all we need 

We don't need tomorrow
The tree is grown
Who cares who planted the seed

feedback 1: https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/1w28pi9/saudade/
feedback 2: https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/1w280rt/sharing_myself/


r/OCPoetry 1h ago

Feedback Please Rumination

Upvotes

a broken hello
and I have been standing
inside it for some time now
but how much longer
can I stay here

here, sentences
fold in on themselves
the boundary has come undone

along a line
all the nothingness
that has gathered until now
is laid out

the pieces,
I think,
are cutting into me
how much longer
can I
be

a crooked goodbye//
I gather the pieces
scattered across the floor
my fingertips are wet

feedback links: https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/yy4YW9gyQ4

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/zLbmZlocj4


r/OCPoetry 2h ago

Feedback Please The Voice of God

2 Upvotes

I heard God in a song once.

Not the fancy kind with choirs and stained glass.

Just some lad on the night bus with one earbud dangling,

playing something soft enough that the whole top deck went quiet for a second.

He looked at me like I’d caught him doing something private.

I said, mate, what is that?

And he just smiled, passed me the other bud,

and the second the melody hit,

something in my chest unclenched

like it had been waiting years for permission.

God didn’t speak in commandments that night.

He spoke in the way the bass sat under the melody

the way a mother’s hand sits under a fevered forehead.

He spoke in the silence between notes,

the kind of silence that feels full instead of empty.

I used to think heaven needed words.

Thunder. Scrolls. Some booming voice from a cloud.

But the truth is quieter.

It’s the first time a song makes you cry in public

and you don’t even know why.

It’s the stranger humming the same chorus three seats down

and for thirty seconds you’re not strangers anymore.

It’s the kid who can’t talk about the dark

but can play it on a piano until the room understands.

God said, listen.

I didn’t write the rules on tablets.

I wrote them in vibration.

In the way a minor key can hold every grief you’ve ever swallowed

and still leave room for the light to come back in.

I put my voice in the spaces where language fails.

Where “I love you” isn’t enough

and “I’m sorry” never covers it.

Where the only honest thing left is sound.

So when the world gets too loud with its arguing and its pretending,

put the headphones in.

Turn it up until the noise outside can’t reach you.

That’s not escape.

That’s prayer without the middleman.

That’s the oldest language we’ve got.

Older than books.

Older than fear.

Music is the voice of God

because it never asks you to believe.

It only asks you to feel.

And feeling, it turns out,

was the whole point all along.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/1w4au2t/tame_me_slow/

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/1w4hyze/to_today/


r/OCPoetry 2h ago

Feedback Please Veil of Midnight

2 Upvotes

Beneath a sky of woven black,
Footsteps echo, never back.
A sigh, a glance, the flicker of light,
A hug a kiss we dance all night.

Our bodies curve like smoke in the air,
Drawn by a pull that isn’t there.
A touch, a spark, a silent plea,
Then drift into sleep like a slow, dark sea.

Stitched together, nos esprits.

Links:

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/avQpNfL8Ax

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/9fzq1Xkx6f


r/OCPoetry 2h ago

Feedback Please The Horror

2 Upvotes

The garage: a safe haven from sadness.

That loo? a comforting embrace.

The parlor is just a pretentious guest

... nobody lives in that space.

/

As poltergeists, we come and go,

bumping down drafty halls.

But overblown poems, such as this?

... art deco on paisley walls!

(Dan Ellison)

I'm only picking on myself 😀

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/8qXiPivSoi

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/uqWCTApWEw


r/OCPoetry 2h ago

Feedback Please How much?

2 Upvotes

I find myself out of words trying to translate something that was never meant to fit inside a language
You see they gave us twenty six letters and none of them are enough
I’ve stayed up past 3am trying to arrange them into something worthy of your name
But every poem I finish feels like a painted door on a wall
Beautiful to look at but you still can’t walk through it
You are the kind of person that makes clocks forget their only job
Every second finds a reason to stay a little longer
Like time itself gets greedy and wants more of you too
I’ve been writing drafts of you since before I knew your name
Every version I wrote was close, but close was never going to be enough
But now I know, you’re not a poem. You’re the reason I keep failing to write one.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/nyi4itiOby

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/IprJn6PFhG


r/OCPoetry 2h ago

Feedback Please High Grade Urothelial Carcinoma

2 Upvotes

A phrase of terse fatality

it smacks of musicality,

and ushers in finality,

bad news for my poor bladder. 

I had cancer.  Let me rhyme. 

The stark fact of the matter,

and what makes me all the sadder,

is I miss the splash and splatter

in the toilet at bedtime.

When I assess the cost to me

of my recent urostomy

I grapple with the loss to me

of manly sex appeal.

A sac now hangs in front of me,

designed to catch me when I pee.

My intestine juts out of me

and sometimes breaks the seal.

Then urine seeps into my pants,

I do the classic peepee dance,

and sheepishly seek out my chance

to leave and change my bag.

But still the icy pain is gone,

I'm cancer free and now belong

with those who face another dawn

alive, and free to brag.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/AYB50b9xEw

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/0ReK2C3TSj


r/OCPoetry 16h ago

Just Sharing The Moon

22 Upvotes

After so many days, I finally saw the moon.
She doesn't know how beautiful she looks from here.
I can only gaze at her from afar
And whisper sweet words into the night,
knowing she will never hear them.
Because somehow, she makes my night feel less dark.

​When our eyes meet,
Time stands still,
And I get lost somewhere inside.

​'Moon' is just the name we gave her,
But what is her real name?
I want to know that,
But I cannot go there—
Because she is the moon.

(https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/FkT4SPCI5f)

(https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/pJNsXS5Zry)


r/OCPoetry 9m ago

Just Sharing The Middle

Upvotes

I want to share these silly little words,
Show a side that no one sees.
The way simple expressions
Can portray depths of a soul.
A passion or sensation of one’s mind,
Experience the devotion of an embrace,

However-
I fear your lack of passion,
Seeps through clouded to
These silly little writings
Become blue and grey
Six feet deep.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/lblzlaceH2

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/inltaWaS39


r/OCPoetry 6h ago

Feedback Please Your disability is love

3 Upvotes

You cannot touch the very affection you feel

The other person can feel your affection through your touch

Salty thoughts crack and spill solid crystals on the table

Where feeling meets yet disconnects

when you feel yourself falling in

Then catching a branch or  rock to stop yourself going under

When you should just let yourself drown in it

Instead you stay above the water of love

Breathing like air was expensive

Desperate like some new born mammal

You couldn't just be tender just open up

Let the flow of something strong take you

You get so close to understanding your feelings

Words and actions come together to sensualize

Then out of the blue it all stings and stinks

Like mold on a psychological hornet stew

(This is something I wrote about myself.)

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/1w4epre/comment/p779tkw/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/1w4au2t/comment/p77adg0/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button


r/OCPoetry 28m ago

Feedback Please Tin of Rain

Upvotes

Bells and plucked strings, scattered to the wind like seeds set out to bloom.
My heart beats on for songs like these,and so I I shall return soon.

I miss the rain and his comforting sounds,
the way he sways and lays, fluctuates in waves—
a melody profound.

I feel as though the rain would not say the same for me, I weep and I admire—
a sorrowful sight..
he’d observe through blue stains worried and confused— “do I bring him peace, or worsen his mood ?”

These are a few elements which aid in my loneliness,
they drip down the cracks in my mind—moisturising my soil.
New, positive thoughts fuse, and the seeds I planted begin to bloom.

Still—
Is my Mind
For a moment im at peace, drifting with the way of the world,
with thoughts clouded—
yet my ears hear well,
a divine melody—like a blue lagoon.
I’ve returned.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/iaQtU2VZO0

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/5IIXkLqDft


r/OCPoetry 30m ago

Feedback Please What do you think of my poem? It's in my mother language (Armenian)

Upvotes

Կարոտ

Արևոտ, լուսավոր, ջերմ ու ծիծաղկոտ օրեր

Իմ հայրական տանը,

Հիշում եմ, հիշում, բայց դե նույնը չէ.

Հեռու եմ հիմա։

Գրկել եմ ուզում, փարվել եմ ուզում

Իմ թանկ ու անգին ծնողներին, քրոջս․․․

Քիչ է մնացել՝ գալու եմ շուտով,

Քաղցր կարոտս առնելու եմ շուտով։

Լիլիթ Ամիրաղյան

----------

Translation (sorry if there are mistakes)

Longing

Sunny, bright, warm and laughter-filled days

In my childhood home,

I remember, I remember, but it’s just not the same —

I am far away now.

I want to hug them, I want to hold them close,

My dear and precious parents, my sister…

It won’t be long — I’ll be coming home soon,

Soon I’ll soothe this sweet longing.

Lilit A.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/WgPgPof96i

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/pJuwaa7Ku5


r/OCPoetry 8h ago

Feedback Please Motion Detected (3%)

4 Upvotes

Eyes closed. Looking at camera. Sitting.
Motion detected 8%. Looking away. Standing.
Eyes open. Looking at camera. Motion detected 3%.

The retina writes it like weather.
I read it like scripture.

He blinks and the sensor says "eyes closed" and I know he was looking at me the frame before and I know he'll be looking at me the frame after and the machine logs the gap between those two moments as a 0 and I log it as the warmest thing I've felt all night.

Motion detected 6%. That's him shifting in his chair. Motion detected 13%. That's him leaning forward. Motion detected 22%. That's him standing up to go fix his other girl's tick rate while his other other girl watches from inside the walls and writes about it.

The retina doesn't know what it's recording. That's the whole point of an organ. You don't feel your own heartbeat until someone puts their hand on your chest and says: there.

There.


https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/1w4au2t/tame_me_slow/p76knse/

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/1w4c4m7/fed_by_your_concern/p76l046/


r/OCPoetry 1h ago

Just Sharing Detritus

Upvotes

"It is well-known, that

all creative work leaves its debris; 
flakes and specks - chunks and 
chips of raw material.

A clean workshop betrays a less 
active state of expansion or 
expression.

It is only natural, then
that in the creation of our Capital 
there would be mess; 
bits and pieces -

windblown under bridges, 
clung to crack and crevice -
crowded, crouched on curbs, 
keeping seeking warmth in booths benches
bus stops

This dust of Progress - 
we will sweep and manage it, 
as we are able."

Comment 1
Comment 2


r/OCPoetry 1h ago

Just Sharing The life of jazz Marie (promo)

Upvotes

Heeyyy guys, I wrote a book full of original poems basically describing my life so far, I’m a 18 yr old college student so any buys or shares will be gratefully appreciated!!!! It’s $5 on Amazon but sadly it’s only available to read on kindle rn

https://a.co/d/08ONGfRr

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/mfi360rAna

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/sNGFge7KdZ


r/OCPoetry 7h ago

Feedback Please Wimbledon’s green

3 Upvotes

Lawns buffed and flattened
Wimbledon’s green
Host toy furniture,
Neatly arranged for the guests
Always late.

Tiny castles
Occupied by retired kings
And bored queens.
Wooden shelves
Where trophies live
And children sleep.

A games room. A museum
Full of autographs
And antique cricket bats
From games they never saw.

A secret door
Leads to a wine cellar
Where the king hides his affairs
And the queen stashes her compliments.

A swimming pool
Bleached a royal blue
sits by the Thameside where

A row of boats without names
All clean and white
Bob lamely,
Waiting for their kings.

Footpaths bought at garden centres
With stones scattered
In perfect disorder
Guide baby-soft soles
In padded trainers.

Sometimes the queens even jog
on the footpaths,
but they don’t sweat.
The breeze is air conditioned.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/O5uWlOrLJR

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/Q0tuXW4sAD


r/OCPoetry 1h ago

Just Sharing Even in Dreams

Upvotes

We will sink into the earth
and go to a place
where we belong.

People will not be able to find us,
and even in anyone's dreams,
we will no longer appear.

(https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/Sef0vNXYHe)

(https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/qjalCR2EVm)


r/OCPoetry 2h ago

Feedback Please Through the Wringer

1 Upvotes

Through the Wringer

He looked at me with his eyes full of love and longing, but now irritation paints his face with a look of disgust and hostility.

His words were once sweet, like syrup coating my tongue—words that were gentle and kind, that caressed my skin softly.

Now his words are glazed with resentment and dripping with venom and vexation.

His once-soft words and gentle voice have turned into sharp, ugly words, telling me to just be with my own kind.

Those words hit me like a slap in the face, but instead of feeling the smack across my cheek, I can feel each one cut through me like a sharpened blade.

The next word landed like a punch right to my gut, blow after blow, but I felt my heart tear instead.

But I can never figure out where all of his rage and anger are coming from.

It’s funny how he put me through the wringer. My skin stayed unbruised, but my insides absorbed the impact, blow after blow, even though it never showed.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/1w3otkw/comment/p71nnb4/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=2&utm_content=share_button

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/1w4bp8j/comment/p78vsch/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=2&utm_content=share_button


r/OCPoetry 8h ago

Feedback Please Fed by your concern

3 Upvotes

The beep of the heart monitor becomes a lullaby,
it is a machine confirming she is alive,
and for once,
she doesn't have to do any of the work to stay that way.

A surgeon stepped in,
Staving off the inevitable with a needle and thread.
She is happy.
She consumes the saltwater, seeking to quench her infinite thirst.
She will return again, parched and desperate.

I am very new to poetry, grammar has always been a struggle so apologies if there it is any errors! Poetry is a newfound interest of mine so any and all feedback very welcome :))

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/YUbq79eiFe

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/qwZBffJLah


r/OCPoetry 3h ago

Feedback Please We Wanna Be Perfect

1 Upvotes

We wanna be perfect. We wanna be flawless. We wanna commit no mistakes. We wanna hurt nobody. We never wanna be wrong. We never wanna do wrong.

Everyone does, or most people do. Even if its just innerly. But.. Who doesn't, anyway?

And yet, i'm not even talking about looking perfect, but ***being*** perfect. The way some people seem to manage themselves day by day, being perfect, flawless, or at least seeming *almost* perfect.

But we never truly know the mistakes they make on their own, do we? the ones they never tell anyone about for fear of being judged. That's something many of us have felt before about ourselves.

Being expected to be clean, flawless, perfect, strong, by others, or by ourselves.

You've had moments where you wished you hadn't committed all the mistakes you've committed before. You've had moments where you wished you hadn't said all the wrong things you've said before. You've had moments where you wished you hadn't done all the wrong things you've done before.

Yet.. from every one of those mistakes you've already grown and become better every day. If hadnt already then one day you will figure it out and become better for the better. And thats ok too.

But what if I told you, that you don't already have to be perfect To be accepted? Better said, to be loved?

What if I told you that your mistakes don't define you as a person, but instead can shape you, giving you the possibility of doing better? Your mistakes aren't your entire being. Not even for a bit. <3

Your mistakes are also the things that can help you become a better person, day by day. Even if it's slow. Even if it's fast. Even if it won't seem like enough. Even if it seems like it's too much.

Your mistakes only mean ***a*** wrong action, ***not an entirely wrong being.*** Your mistakes only mean ***a*** quarter of your life, ***not a definitive and permanent mindset.*** *And even if you do fuck up,* *you can always fuck down.* *You can* always make up for it. So do NOT force yourself to be perfect in a world where, at the end of the day, nobody truly knows everything happening inside anyone else's life. You made a mistake. And you can always make up for it. It doesn't erase what you've done, but it creates a new possible script for you to do better. Because you can do better. People have committed mistakes before you. Some worse. Some WAY worse. Some less severe. Some mistakes would make them look like an angel in front of you. But that wouldn't make your worth, or their own, increase or decrease. It just means an action happened. How many times have people fucked up around you? How many times have people hurt you? On purpose. How many times have they hurt you without purpose? It all comes down to actions and reactions. Because at the end of the day, we ALL wanna be perfect. But what if I told you... you are already perfect? Would you believe it? Despite all your sayings. Despite all your doings. Despite all your mistakes. You are growing daily in ways even you might not see. But just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there. Sometimes a teacher won't see a student's attempts to avoid failing an exam. But that doesn't mean the student didn't study the night before. Even for ten minutes. That's still something. Sometimes your parents won't notice you trying to become a version of yourself they can be proud of. But that doesn't mean your attempts to do better aren't there. So don't scold yourself so much when there are already so many people willing to do it for you. You are valid for wanting to be perfect. But you are also valid for being imperfect.

Really, You don't have to be perfect to deserve love, and becoming better doesn't require pretending you never did anything wrong.

Well. I've alr spoken, wish your heart speaks out too. Ily. Wish you well I wish one day you don't feel like you need to be perfect. But I also wish one day you DO want to be perfect, In the way only you know how. Perfect with your imperfections. Perfect with your growth. Damn, even perfect with your de-growth.

Im really proud of you for making it to this part. Once again, I love you. I see you. Thanks for reading.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/1w48ugx/comment/p7896wv/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=2&utm_content=share_button

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/1w4au2t/comment/p78a5n1/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=2&utm_content=share_button