Comments received on poems by Matthew R. Callies
Learning the Shape of Better
Doggerel Dave said:
You have provided a poetic richness to what otherwise is sterile managerial gobbledegook, Mathew.
Small correction: I merely pointed out that the phrase \'continuous quality improvement\' contained ten syllables but cast doubt upon its status as an iambic pentameter. That you have gone ahead, interpreted that as a task request and succeeded admirably, puts me to shame as I struggle with those buggers and have a low achievement rate.
March 9th, 2026 18:33
Doggerel Dave said:
You have provided a poetic richness to what otherwise is sterile managerial gobbledegook, Mathew.
Small correction: I merely pointed out that the phrase \'continuous quality improvement\' contained ten syllables but cast doubt upon its status as an iambic pentameter. That you have gone ahead, interpreted that as a task request and succeeded admirably, puts me to shame as I struggle with those buggers and have a low achievement rate.
March 9th, 2026 18:33
Learning the Shape of Better
sorenbarrett said:
To become the road or vessel far superior than the contents. A lovely write Matthew
March 9th, 2026 08:52
sorenbarrett said:
To become the road or vessel far superior than the contents. A lovely write Matthew
March 9th, 2026 08:52
Learning the Shape of Better
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, the line about “craft is patient tending fire” really stood out to me. That image captures the entire philosophy of the poem…small acts of effort feeding something larger over time. It’s a powerful metaphor that echoes through the rest of the piece. Powerful poem, my friend, and another great rise to another challenge from our friend Dave! 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
March 9th, 2026 08:36
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, the line about “craft is patient tending fire” really stood out to me. That image captures the entire philosophy of the poem…small acts of effort feeding something larger over time. It’s a powerful metaphor that echoes through the rest of the piece. Powerful poem, my friend, and another great rise to another challenge from our friend Dave! 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
March 9th, 2026 08:36
The Night\'s Ledger
Doggerel Dave said:
I believe you really enjoyed that as you laid it out. I certainly interrogate my dreams (when I remember them) without any insight evident.
March 8th, 2026 16:48
Doggerel Dave said:
I believe you really enjoyed that as you laid it out. I certainly interrogate my dreams (when I remember them) without any insight evident.
March 8th, 2026 16:48
The Night\'s Ledger
sorenbarrett said:
Dreams are fascinating and still poorly understood. Freud tried, Jung tried, Gestalt self interpretation has been done and yet they remain cryptic.
March 8th, 2026 08:41
sorenbarrett said:
Dreams are fascinating and still poorly understood. Freud tried, Jung tried, Gestalt self interpretation has been done and yet they remain cryptic.
March 8th, 2026 08:41
The Night\'s Ledger
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, what a fascinating piece…there’s a real sense of intellectual patience running through it. The way you explore dream interpretation without pretending to solve it gives the poem a thoughtful humility. A wonderful response to Demar\'s challenge, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
March 8th, 2026 07:25
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, what a fascinating piece…there’s a real sense of intellectual patience running through it. The way you explore dream interpretation without pretending to solve it gives the poem a thoughtful humility. A wonderful response to Demar\'s challenge, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
March 8th, 2026 07:25
The Sparrow\'s Unfinished Lesson
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, this is a clever and beautifully handled response to Dave’s didactic challenge. The prose carries that earnest teacher’s voice…carefully arranging lessons and signposts…while the sparrow outside carries no footnotes at all. That quiet shift into the haiku lands perfectly. Lovely work, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
March 7th, 2026 09:49
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, this is a clever and beautifully handled response to Dave’s didactic challenge. The prose carries that earnest teacher’s voice…carefully arranging lessons and signposts…while the sparrow outside carries no footnotes at all. That quiet shift into the haiku lands perfectly. Lovely work, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
March 7th, 2026 09:49
The Sparrow\'s Unfinished Lesson
Doggerel Dave said:
Thanks Mathew - you responded to my request handsomely. Words have syntax, but other realms, such as the natural world do not necessarily conform. Message correctly received?
March 7th, 2026 08:25
Doggerel Dave said:
Thanks Mathew - you responded to my request handsomely. Words have syntax, but other realms, such as the natural world do not necessarily conform. Message correctly received?
March 7th, 2026 08:25
The Sparrow\'s Unfinished Lesson
sorenbarrett said:
Very nice I can see the blend here and it is quite enjoyable Matthew and beckons the reader to listen and interpret images and metaphor that seem to come in flashes. A fave
March 7th, 2026 03:43
sorenbarrett said:
Very nice I can see the blend here and it is quite enjoyable Matthew and beckons the reader to listen and interpret images and metaphor that seem to come in flashes. A fave
March 7th, 2026 03:43
Coin Return
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, I’m genuinely impressed with what you did with that challenge. The moment you wrote “a smudged cathedral of delay,” the vending machine stopped being a machine and became exactly what the prompt suggested…a little shrine for forgotten wishes. And the closing image seals it perfectly…“a shrine of stalled and carbonated dreams.” Wonderfully executed, my friend, and I really dug what you\'ve done here by inviting challenges. It\'s a cool poetic exercise that you are pulling off brilliantly. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
March 6th, 2026 13:20
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, I’m genuinely impressed with what you did with that challenge. The moment you wrote “a smudged cathedral of delay,” the vending machine stopped being a machine and became exactly what the prompt suggested…a little shrine for forgotten wishes. And the closing image seals it perfectly…“a shrine of stalled and carbonated dreams.” Wonderfully executed, my friend, and I really dug what you\'ve done here by inviting challenges. It\'s a cool poetic exercise that you are pulling off brilliantly. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
March 6th, 2026 13:20
Coin Return
Doggerel Dave said:
I cannot see Tristan complaining about your piece Mathew, which has materialised the vending machine in all it\'s broken glory.
March 6th, 2026 08:20
Doggerel Dave said:
I cannot see Tristan complaining about your piece Mathew, which has materialised the vending machine in all it\'s broken glory.
March 6th, 2026 08:20
Coin Return
Friendship said:
Nicely written. Your poem focuses on a vending machine that is out of order, symbolizing unfulfilled cravings and the mundane struggles of daily life. It reflects on the hopes people project onto it, despite its inability to deliver.
March 6th, 2026 07:58
Friendship said:
Nicely written. Your poem focuses on a vending machine that is out of order, symbolizing unfulfilled cravings and the mundane struggles of daily life. It reflects on the hopes people project onto it, despite its inability to deliver.
March 6th, 2026 07:58
Coin Return
sorenbarrett said:
Matthew I found a treasure in this poem, whether intended or not I see it as a marvelous metaphor for prayer. Even the most devout believer would have to agree not all prayers go answered and for me I see them as putting coins in a broken machine where wishes accumulate. Antiquated and covered in dust of the past society has labeled it out of order yet people come with their change. Brilliantly written it is a fave
March 6th, 2026 03:41
sorenbarrett said:
Matthew I found a treasure in this poem, whether intended or not I see it as a marvelous metaphor for prayer. Even the most devout believer would have to agree not all prayers go answered and for me I see them as putting coins in a broken machine where wishes accumulate. Antiquated and covered in dust of the past society has labeled it out of order yet people come with their change. Brilliantly written it is a fave
March 6th, 2026 03:41
The Last Riddle Refuses an Answer
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, this feels like a thoughtful answer to Soren’s challenge… the poem traces that long human effort to climb toward meaning, only to discover the peace that comes from releasing the demand for final answers. The idea of befriending the riddle instead of solving it is beautifully expressed here. A strong response to the challenge, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
March 5th, 2026 15:59
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, this feels like a thoughtful answer to Soren’s challenge… the poem traces that long human effort to climb toward meaning, only to discover the peace that comes from releasing the demand for final answers. The idea of befriending the riddle instead of solving it is beautifully expressed here. A strong response to the challenge, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
March 5th, 2026 15:59
The Last Riddle Refuses an Answer
sorenbarrett said:
You caught me by surprise on this one. I had read the whole poem before I remembered that I had given the challenge. Not only does this poem answer the challenge but in so doing opens a new paradigm, shifting over time as the meaning of life does. So nicely worded each line Transends to the next smoothly and the reader is carried onward. A lovely write that I was ready to fave before I got to the end. Maybe some things don\'t have answers and don\'t need them
March 5th, 2026 04:26
sorenbarrett said:
You caught me by surprise on this one. I had read the whole poem before I remembered that I had given the challenge. Not only does this poem answer the challenge but in so doing opens a new paradigm, shifting over time as the meaning of life does. So nicely worded each line Transends to the next smoothly and the reader is carried onward. A lovely write that I was ready to fave before I got to the end. Maybe some things don\'t have answers and don\'t need them
March 5th, 2026 04:26
The Last Riddle Refuses an Answer
Doggerel Dave said:
Agreed - \'the meaning of life is unknowable\' 👍
You have managed to make a quest out of your attempt to find life\'s meaning which has resulted in a rich journey for me, the reader, Thanks.
March 5th, 2026 00:54
Doggerel Dave said:
Agreed - \'the meaning of life is unknowable\' 👍
You have managed to make a quest out of your attempt to find life\'s meaning which has resulted in a rich journey for me, the reader, Thanks.
March 5th, 2026 00:54
The Last Riddle Refuses an Answer
Demar Desu said:
Soren is out here creating challenges?!
Well I challenge you to make a poem about the meaning of dreams
Also great poem
March 5th, 2026 00:38
Demar Desu said:
Soren is out here creating challenges?!
Well I challenge you to make a poem about the meaning of dreams
Also great poem
March 5th, 2026 00:38
Dare Me the Difficult Thing
Doggerel Dave said:
Category \'didactic\': \"Good Prose First, Then Poetry\"
March 5th, 2026 00:14
Doggerel Dave said:
Category \'didactic\': \"Good Prose First, Then Poetry\"
March 5th, 2026 00:14
Dare Me the Difficult Thing
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, I really like the line about statistics bent like light… that image caught me immediately. The poem feels playful but also serious about the craft. Since you invited challenges, try this: a sonnet about a broken vending machine that becomes a shrine for small forgotten wishes. I’d love to see what you do with that. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
March 4th, 2026 13:03
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, I really like the line about statistics bent like light… that image caught me immediately. The poem feels playful but also serious about the craft. Since you invited challenges, try this: a sonnet about a broken vending machine that becomes a shrine for small forgotten wishes. I’d love to see what you do with that. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
March 4th, 2026 13:03
Dare Me the Difficult Thing
sorenbarrett said:
I agree Matthew any object or word can be made a poem. Let\'s start big instead of small \"The meaning of life\"
March 4th, 2026 08:50
sorenbarrett said:
I agree Matthew any object or word can be made a poem. Let\'s start big instead of small \"The meaning of life\"
March 4th, 2026 08:50
Sunday Morning, Birmingham
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, this is a quiet memorial. The villanelle form mirrors remembrance…names carried forward, bells still ringing. By the time we return to “The church bells rang...the sky was bright and blue” it feels both haunting and defiant. The bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church shook the nation and helped galvanize the Civil Rights movement under leaders like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. History does not forget. And neither should we. An important piece, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
March 3rd, 2026 11:00
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, this is a quiet memorial. The villanelle form mirrors remembrance…names carried forward, bells still ringing. By the time we return to “The church bells rang...the sky was bright and blue” it feels both haunting and defiant. The bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church shook the nation and helped galvanize the Civil Rights movement under leaders like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. History does not forget. And neither should we. An important piece, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
March 3rd, 2026 11:00
Sunday Morning, Birmingham
sorenbarrett said:
Man\'s hatred so reified that it raises above love, religion, law to rain death on the innocent. A powerful poem of sad history and a commentary on man\'s lack of social progress.
March 3rd, 2026 04:45
sorenbarrett said:
Man\'s hatred so reified that it raises above love, religion, law to rain death on the innocent. A powerful poem of sad history and a commentary on man\'s lack of social progress.
March 3rd, 2026 04:45
Sunday Morning, Birmingham
Doggerel Dave said:
I know nothing of the film or indeed the murder. Nevertheless your poem is a beautifully structured tribute.
March 3rd, 2026 04:08
Doggerel Dave said:
I know nothing of the film or indeed the murder. Nevertheless your poem is a beautifully structured tribute.
March 3rd, 2026 04:08
Echoes through the Black Forest
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, this carries both elegance and restraint. The whispering leaves, the old bloodlines, the piercing gaze…each image builds a portrait of instinct refined over time. By the time we reach “And claims the wild beneath the fading night.” it feels earned and dignified. Strong, classical work. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
March 2nd, 2026 10:53
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, this carries both elegance and restraint. The whispering leaves, the old bloodlines, the piercing gaze…each image builds a portrait of instinct refined over time. By the time we reach “And claims the wild beneath the fading night.” it feels earned and dignified. Strong, classical work. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
March 2nd, 2026 10:53
Echoes through the Black Forest
sorenbarrett said:
A poem of tribute to a noble breed of dog. Nicely written it places the hound in his surroundings for which he was bred. Nicely done
March 2nd, 2026 04:10
sorenbarrett said:
A poem of tribute to a noble breed of dog. Nicely written it places the hound in his surroundings for which he was bred. Nicely done
March 2nd, 2026 04:10
The Shell of Fulk Lake
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, this is beautifully crafted. The rhythm carries that old ballad feel, and “The Beast of Busco guards its watery home” anchors the myth with quiet authority. The atmosphere is thick, steady, and respectful of the legend. Well done. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
March 1st, 2026 08:15
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, this is beautifully crafted. The rhythm carries that old ballad feel, and “The Beast of Busco guards its watery home” anchors the myth with quiet authority. The atmosphere is thick, steady, and respectful of the legend. Well done. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
March 1st, 2026 08:15
The Shell of Fulk Lake
sorenbarrett said:
A lovely poem that captures well the beast that no net could catch. Well written in rhyme it is a wonderful poem a fave
March 1st, 2026 05:29
sorenbarrett said:
A lovely poem that captures well the beast that no net could catch. Well written in rhyme it is a wonderful poem a fave
March 1st, 2026 05:29
Accordion Skies
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, this truly breathes… dusty, rhythmic, alive. That weaving of two worlds gives it depth beyond celebration, and the 2/4 heartbeat lands perfectly at the close. It feels cultural, musical, and personal all at once. The rhythm doesn’t just describe the music… it becomes it. Well done, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
February 28th, 2026 12:16
Tristan Robert Lange said:
Matthew, this truly breathes… dusty, rhythmic, alive. That weaving of two worlds gives it depth beyond celebration, and the 2/4 heartbeat lands perfectly at the close. It feels cultural, musical, and personal all at once. The rhythm doesn’t just describe the music… it becomes it. Well done, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
February 28th, 2026 12:16
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