I thought this poem was very well done, but I don't think the title suited it. I don't know, but I just think something like ' Behind the Mask' or ' A handful of Tears' would have worked better. Even though I understand what your trying to say by a slice of life, it isn't really mentioned until the last stanza, and starts you wondering on what it actually was the five women were going through.Life or Lies? Dunno, if that made any sense but yeah, an observation... +)

That was the best poem I have ever read. No, seriously. The fun, exciting roulette played with the same nouns makes the poem all lock together. I love it! I want to try this kind of poem myself sometime, but mostly I want to admire others who have managed to do it.

Hey nice. I really like the complicated rhyming scheme. Really deep as well. I can see how this relates to lots of people in life- who hide their own tears 'behind a mask.' Great job.

~Ian

Please review some of my poems soon.

Wow! That must be really hard to do! It's really cool though.

Sestina, huh? Whoa. Another word to dazzle my (soon-to-be) terrified English teacher with next year. That sounds extremely tough, though. I must attempt one!

Cool poem- sounds like a kinda hard thing to write though! Think I'll stick to my rhyming ones!

Awesome!!
I've never heard of a sestina before... I must go try one!

I've always loved sestinas. Few even attempt to write them, let alone manage to write them successfully. Very nice, although I always thought a sestina had to be some standard of line length like 8 or 10 syllables. Gr... I've been making it harder for myself. Oh well, I did enjoy this. I never would have put these sentiments exactly into these words. Thanks for showing me the beauty of this.

Good heavens--your poems move in the mind with a refreshing celerity.
Thank you!

This is way cool. I'm always interested in different kinds of poetry. I might try it myself, if I'm brave enough. I like the subejct of the poem, too. So true.

I've never heard of a sestina before. It seems like a very hard form to follow! I don't think I'd be able to do it! Yours turned out great! I especially liked the final three lines... the envai. It finished it off perfectly.

meaggh... sweet jesus. Darling, that is insane. I'm jeleous. damn, that is nice.

This is the first time I've heard of a sestina - understanding the form of the poem impressed me in itself. It amazed me how you could write a poem with those rigid rules that still sounds like a normal free-form piece. If you hadn't said that it was a sestina, I would not have noticed any difference. Incredible work!

Wow... I *tried* to write a sestina once, and I am truly impressed with how natural yours sounds. Perfect use of the form, as well as excellent meaning. The last stanza is my favorite - just wonderful.

love it! It's really good, better than i would do for an assignment! I asked me why they were crying and answered it by myself (that never happens)! Hope you got a good grade!