Matthew,

I have enjoyed reading a lot of your submissions here. I really connect and feel the words that you use and the emotion that surges through your work. Good stuff!

Have you ever considered publishing some of your work? I really think that you should have it in book form.

I am not a stalker, promise. I am a publisher. I also write.

I have been trying to get enough young people interested in submitting work for an anthology of poetry and short stories. Would you be interested in having more information? I love Fiction Press and it finally hit me that I might find enough young people here that would like to be part of something like this.

Are you interested?

"Pick apart the pieces

And dissect my agony"

-That's such a powerful image and statement to have at the start. I'd already been drawn in to read this by the title, but that line made me certain that I was going to like the poem.

I loved the part about filling the cup and letting people drink from it. Those two stanzas were so original.

"Let them suffer for a change

Let them feel how I feel

Let them corrode like I have"

-I liked the shift here. It went from sorrow and misery to anger and bitterness. I think nearly everyone can relate to that feeling of, "No, you suffer for a while."

"To busy raging inside"-I think you mean to use 'too' at the start, and not 'to.'

Man, you've got a gift with words. Kudos to you for writing!

I really like the emotion you've put into this piece, so my only criticism for this (on a strictly poetic standpoint) would be that the way you portrayed some of the emotion here was a little cliched. Just the whole sorrow-darkness-bleeding concept. Not the whole poem is "cliched", of course. The poem itself is very good, and has some very well written lines. I thought that the third and fourth stanzas were especially creative. Generally, I liked this. Great work and definatley write more.

A vivid piece with a dark atmosphere, which I have enjoyed reading. You have a good sense of words. Well done and thank you for the review!

Another powerful piece, Matt. The image of passing around the cup and letting "all drink from it and let them see me for who I am" was really vivid. You've got talent, hun. Have always believed that and always will.

x Laura x

Extremely powerful and dark. Nicely done.

Incredible! That is the first word that comes to my mind. You have become a favorite author to me. How I relate to this. It amazes me. Just incredible words that are filled with emotion. You touched my heart.