Comments received on poems by Matthew R. Callies
Obergefell v. Hodges
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, this is a thoughtful and moving reflection. The language carries both the weight of what came before and the hope that followed, ending with an image that feels both graceful and earned. Hard to believe it\'s been 15 years already. A powerful write, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
June 26th, 2026 09:29
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, this is a thoughtful and moving reflection. The language carries both the weight of what came before and the hope that followed, ending with an image that feels both graceful and earned. Hard to believe it\'s been 15 years already. A powerful write, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
June 26th, 2026 09:29
Obergefell v. Hodges
sorenbarrett said:
So well worded this poem starts off powerfully and ends the same way. Well done
June 26th, 2026 04:09
sorenbarrett said:
So well worded this poem starts off powerfully and ends the same way. Well done
June 26th, 2026 04:09
The Yellow Book
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, what struck me most is how gracefully you weave together the public figure, the prisoner, and the enduring legacy. From the sunflower and sharp wit to Reading Gaol and the final affirmation that beauty survived condemnation, each movement builds naturally toward a deeply hopeful close. Beautifully written, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
June 25th, 2026 10:50
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, what struck me most is how gracefully you weave together the public figure, the prisoner, and the enduring legacy. From the sunflower and sharp wit to Reading Gaol and the final affirmation that beauty survived condemnation, each movement builds naturally toward a deeply hopeful close. Beautifully written, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
June 25th, 2026 10:50
The Yellow Book
sorenbarrett said:
Beautifully written a wonderful tribute to a great author well done a fave
June 25th, 2026 07:41
sorenbarrett said:
Beautifully written a wonderful tribute to a great author well done a fave
June 25th, 2026 07:41
What Gets Let Out of the Sentence
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, what struck me most is the tension between complexity and reduction. The poem keeps returning to the idea that some lives are constantly measured against expectations that were never broad enough to contain them in the first place. The ending, with that quiet persistence despite being misunderstood, lands beautifully. I think this is similarly true of how many people treat the transgender community (to which I belong) as well. Powerful piece, my friend. 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
June 24th, 2026 12:55
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, what struck me most is the tension between complexity and reduction. The poem keeps returning to the idea that some lives are constantly measured against expectations that were never broad enough to contain them in the first place. The ending, with that quiet persistence despite being misunderstood, lands beautifully. I think this is similarly true of how many people treat the transgender community (to which I belong) as well. Powerful piece, my friend. 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
June 24th, 2026 12:55
What Gets Let Out of the Sentence
sorenbarrett said:
I hear in this poem the praise of one that stands up for who they are despite outside discouragement. Nicely written Matthew
June 24th, 2026 04:14
sorenbarrett said:
I hear in this poem the praise of one that stands up for who they are despite outside discouragement. Nicely written Matthew
June 24th, 2026 04:14
Turn It Loud Until It Becomes Air
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, this is one heck of a poem. It pulses with energy from the first line to the last. I could practically hear the amps humming and the crowd pushing closer to the stage as I read it. Powerful write, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
June 23rd, 2026 22:14
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, this is one heck of a poem. It pulses with energy from the first line to the last. I could practically hear the amps humming and the crowd pushing closer to the stage as I read it. Powerful write, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
June 23rd, 2026 22:14
Turn It Loud Until It Becomes Air
Brookestiehl said:
Great job!!! Happy Pride month
June 23rd, 2026 13:28
Brookestiehl said:
Great job!!! Happy Pride month
June 23rd, 2026 13:28
Turn It Loud Until It Becomes Air
sorenbarrett said:
A poetic chant that rings like a mantra or maybe a war chant. Nicely penned Matthew
June 23rd, 2026 03:47
sorenbarrett said:
A poetic chant that rings like a mantra or maybe a war chant. Nicely penned Matthew
June 23rd, 2026 03:47
Brandon\'s Name
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, this hit me hard. There is a deep sadness here, but also a determination not to let hatred have the final word. By the end, I found myself thinking less about tragedy and more about resilience. Powerful piece, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
June 22nd, 2026 10:14
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, this hit me hard. There is a deep sadness here, but also a determination not to let hatred have the final word. By the end, I found myself thinking less about tragedy and more about resilience. Powerful piece, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
June 22nd, 2026 10:14
Brandon\'s Name
sorenbarrett said:
Well written in good rhyme and meter it pulls the reader along with its good flow. A well written tribute and a fave
June 22nd, 2026 03:47
sorenbarrett said:
Well written in good rhyme and meter it pulls the reader along with its good flow. A well written tribute and a fave
June 22nd, 2026 03:47
Steam and Shadow
sorenbarrett said:
Sensuous and sexual it is a slippery poem of desire nicely written
June 21st, 2026 04:34
sorenbarrett said:
Sensuous and sexual it is a slippery poem of desire nicely written
June 21st, 2026 04:34
No Fence Can Finish Us
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, what a powerful piece. The movement, the dust, the horses, the crowd...everything works together to create a sense of people fully inhabiting the moment rather than standing outside it trying to define it. And that closing image leaves the poem still moving long after it ends. Wonderful write, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
June 20th, 2026 09:28
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, what a powerful piece. The movement, the dust, the horses, the crowd...everything works together to create a sense of people fully inhabiting the moment rather than standing outside it trying to define it. And that closing image leaves the poem still moving long after it ends. Wonderful write, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
June 20th, 2026 09:28
No Fence Can Finish Us
sorenbarrett said:
Rodeos are a place to prove one\'s skill and courage and this poem aptly describes the feeling and atmosphere of one. Nicely written
June 20th, 2026 03:47
sorenbarrett said:
Rodeos are a place to prove one\'s skill and courage and this poem aptly describes the feeling and atmosphere of one. Nicely written
June 20th, 2026 03:47
Donny\'s Price
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, one thing I’ve appreciated throughout this series is how human you’ve kept these pieces. Here, the tension between the public name and the private person really lingered with me. It reminds us there’s always more to a life than what most people ever see. Powerful write, my friend. 🖤🙏🦇🐦⬛
June 19th, 2026 21:27
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, one thing I’ve appreciated throughout this series is how human you’ve kept these pieces. Here, the tension between the public name and the private person really lingered with me. It reminds us there’s always more to a life than what most people ever see. Powerful write, my friend. 🖤🙏🦇🐦⬛
June 19th, 2026 21:27
A San Francisco Requiem: Elegy for Harvey Milk and George Moscone
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, this hit me hard. Harvey\'s story has always carried that painful mix of hope, courage, progress, and loss...and you captured all of it here. By the end, I found myself thinking less about the tragedy and more about the people who kept carrying the torch forward. Powerful piece, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
June 18th, 2026 20:30
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, this hit me hard. Harvey\'s story has always carried that painful mix of hope, courage, progress, and loss...and you captured all of it here. By the end, I found myself thinking less about the tragedy and more about the people who kept carrying the torch forward. Powerful piece, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
June 18th, 2026 20:30
A San Francisco Requiem: Elegy for Harvey Milk and George Moscone
sorenbarrett said:
A tribute poem based on a real person that I remember from the news of the time. Well written in good rhyme and flow. Nicely done
June 18th, 2026 04:26
sorenbarrett said:
A tribute poem based on a real person that I remember from the news of the time. Well written in good rhyme and flow. Nicely done
June 18th, 2026 04:26
Under the Same Cold Star
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, the idea of myth functioning as a shelter for forbidden language stayed with me. That image beautifully captures how symbolism can become both protection and expression at the same time. A powerful observation, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
June 17th, 2026 11:47
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, the idea of myth functioning as a shelter for forbidden language stayed with me. That image beautifully captures how symbolism can become both protection and expression at the same time. A powerful observation, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
June 17th, 2026 11:47
Under the Same Cold Star
sorenbarrett said:
This poem seems to use Greek history, culture, myth and art as metaphor for its message. Well done
June 17th, 2026 04:19
sorenbarrett said:
This poem seems to use Greek history, culture, myth and art as metaphor for its message. Well done
June 17th, 2026 04:19
Beacon on the Barbed Wire
Tristan Robert Lange said:
My friend, this brought me right back to that era as well. The internet was still young, yet somehow people found ways to gather, mourn, and bear witness together. I remember those early online memorials and vigils feeling surprisingly powerful. Reading this stirred some of those memories. I sadly remember Matthew\'s death like it was yesterday. 😭 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
June 16th, 2026 09:27
Tristan Robert Lange said:
My friend, this brought me right back to that era as well. The internet was still young, yet somehow people found ways to gather, mourn, and bear witness together. I remember those early online memorials and vigils feeling surprisingly powerful. Reading this stirred some of those memories. I sadly remember Matthew\'s death like it was yesterday. 😭 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
June 16th, 2026 09:27
Beacon on the Barbed Wire
sorenbarrett said:
Sad one of many instances such. A person I know was beaten by a gang of five or six nearly to death but latter got justice in court against all. Well written
June 16th, 2026 08:14
sorenbarrett said:
Sad one of many instances such. A person I know was beaten by a gang of five or six nearly to death but latter got justice in court against all. Well written
June 16th, 2026 08:14
A Face Rewritten in Marble Air
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, what I admire most here is the determination at the heart of it. Again and again, forces try to define, contain, erase, or rename...and again and again something human remains. The recurring images of silence, memory, and persistence all work together beautifully. Another powerful entry in the series, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
June 15th, 2026 08:22
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, what I admire most here is the determination at the heart of it. Again and again, forces try to define, contain, erase, or rename...and again and again something human remains. The recurring images of silence, memory, and persistence all work together beautifully. Another powerful entry in the series, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
June 15th, 2026 08:22
A Face Rewritten in Marble Air
sorenbarrett said:
Powerful poetic words about a traumatic historical ruler and one that he subjected to his will. Sad stories of power and abuse of individuality and institutional suppression. Well written and a fave
June 15th, 2026 04:34
sorenbarrett said:
Powerful poetic words about a traumatic historical ruler and one that he subjected to his will. Sad stories of power and abuse of individuality and institutional suppression. Well written and a fave
June 15th, 2026 04:34
The Last Imitation
sorenbarrett said:
Watched the movie and have read about him a genius trapped in a dark age world where morals and sexuality was still legislated and punished. A sad story of man\'s intolerance and government\'s attempts to legislate morality that never works. Nicely written
June 14th, 2026 08:40
sorenbarrett said:
Watched the movie and have read about him a genius trapped in a dark age world where morals and sexuality was still legislated and punished. A sad story of man\'s intolerance and government\'s attempts to legislate morality that never works. Nicely written
June 14th, 2026 08:40
The Last Imitation
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, this hit me hard. There is such a powerful sense of injustice woven through this piece...not only mourning the man himself, but what was done to him by the very society he helped transform, which was nothing short of horrifying. A moving tribute and a vitally important reminder, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
June 14th, 2026 08:16
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, this hit me hard. There is such a powerful sense of injustice woven through this piece...not only mourning the man himself, but what was done to him by the very society he helped transform, which was nothing short of horrifying. A moving tribute and a vitally important reminder, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
June 14th, 2026 08:16
Fragment of Sappho
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, this is one heck of a poem. What struck me most is the affection and reverence running through it...not as history, but as connection. The imagery is rich throughout, and that sense of an enduring flame surviving the centuries lingers long after the final line. Excellent write, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
June 13th, 2026 22:09
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, this is one heck of a poem. What struck me most is the affection and reverence running through it...not as history, but as connection. The imagery is rich throughout, and that sense of an enduring flame surviving the centuries lingers long after the final line. Excellent write, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
June 13th, 2026 22:09
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