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This Poem was Submitted By: Thomas H. Smihula On Date: 2003-10-08 10:56:04 . . . Click Here To Mail this Poem to a Friend!

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Point of Reference

Enter this maze of reflection turn in another direction finding your way Likeness is found revolving around Now a piece of the riddle Think that you know lacking the whole part of the puzzle Knowing no fear Not shedding a tear unable to find a bearing knowing your plight one might have sight the final part of the set Facing reality Enter totality here is the way... Through this Maze

This Poem was Critiqued By: Claire H. Currier On Date: 2003-11-05 15:21:23
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.53125
Point of Reference....a maze of reflection, turn around and you will find what? Yourself perhaps in search of a different direction.....Life and all its turns and twists, roads that we often take and change in mid stream......does anyone ever start on the path of life and continue to the end not making one change at all? I doubt it....Yet when one does come to the end of the line I just hope they like the person they brought along through this maze for the reflection is none other then oneself......good structure, like the word flow and the images each reader may create from their own personal read....thanks for posting and sharing my friend......for me the maze continues on......be safe and God Bless, Claire

This Poem was Critiqued By: Jason S. Moore On Date: 2003-11-04 01:00:30
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 1.00000
Like Theseus enroute to an impending struggle with the Minotaur Are we not all searchers into that same labyrinth? And Crete falls like a leaf falls - slowly - gradually to the ground. The bulls of old are yet obstacles for us all today. No thread to lead us out. Only darkness. Thomas - this is a superb "Point of Reference" in both a biblical, worldly, and an amalgam of a human's hopeless yet truiphant spirit. I enjoyed your delivery and enigma unfolding within these lines: Point of Reference (Excellent title) Enter this maze of reflection turn in another direction finding your way (Clever memory reference and encouragement to move on - change paths) Likeness is found revolving around Now a piece of the riddle (Deja Vu in it's fullest - do we all not walk Campbell's hero trek?) Think that you know lacking the whole part of the puzzle (More to come - Yes - where is the other piece to this puzzle?) Knowing no fear Not shedding a tear unable to find a bearing (Hmmm...Blind, unbalanced, confused - no - a compass maybe) knowing your plight one might have sight the final part of the set (A movie set perhaps - or perhaps a makeshift compass:leaf/water/needle) Facing reality Enter totality here is the way... (North, South, East, West - can the seeker pass the test?) Through this Maze (Ay - Crikey! I am lost again in the wilderness) You have stirred the inner workings of my mind. Thanks to you, sir, for sharing your craft. A nice read, indeed. My only suggestion would be another piece or two for the would be layman - or not. I feel like Sophocles young man meeting up with the Sphinx. Or Batman tangling with the Riddler. I liked it.

This Poem was Critiqued By: Irene E Fraley On Date: 2003-11-01 17:35:38
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.50000
Again I have trouble looking at a poem without my history scewing the point of view. I see this poem as the search of a person to make sense of himself (his Self) and acknowleging that only when one integrates his past fully, can he/she truly understand the who and why of their personality. (OK, I admit that I sound as though I'm hanging off Mars, but there is where my history sends me.) I like the way the poem reads, but as I have a fairly concrete mind, I had a problem reaching the associations connecting each stanza. I always like to read your work, Thomas, as it presents a challenge to me and stretches my mind a bit more toward the abstract. This poem seems fine to me as is. Rene

This Poem was Critiqued By: Mell W. Morris On Date: 2003-10-29 14:57:27
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 10.00000
Thomas: I critiqued this yesterday and lost it in cyber space and I know I cannot recapture the freshness of what I said then but you know how much I enjoy your poetry...so here's an abbreviated version. Once again, you enter the metaphysical realm which makes my brain toil but the process is enjoyable as I like poetry that makes me think. The title seems fitting for the singular aspect lacking in the maze is a point of reference. The poem grabs the reader's attention and then spins him around, turns him upside down, until the reader feels he's in a carnival funhouse with defective mirrors. "Enter this maze of reflection turn in another direction finding your way. Likeness is found revolving around Now a piece of the riddle" Nice pacing, spot-on rhymes, and suggests several possibilities to me. The person is lost in a labyrinth of thought and musing or exploring the subconscious, perhaps. Whatever the maze signifies, the person is in the midst, with no bearings, no sense of direction, no map, no compass. "Think you know lacking the whole part of the puzzle Knowing no fear Not shedding a tear unable to find a bearing." I find stanza 3 to be significant, indeed the core of the situation. It seems to indicate that arrogance is the major error/sin one might commit in the maze...those persons who think they know it all, can solve any puzzle, and overestimate their talent. "knowing your plight one might have sight the final part of the set Facing reality Enter totality here is the way... Through the Maze." The lost person in the maze is saved by divine intervention or the poet's pity after setting certain parameters. First, cut the prentensions and shams and once and for all, face reality. Second, enter the experience in toto, nothing held back, no part-of-the-way committment but a totality of purpose. When these conditions are met, the way out of the maze is shown. This is akin to a rewrite of Adam and Eve and/or numerous historical events. Only through honesty and acceptance will the clear path be revealed to us. I may be way off in my interpretation but knowing your vast writing talent and your penchant for taking readers on mystical journeys, IMO, you have succeeded again. I enormously enjoyed this poem and am grateful you posted as my gray matter needs exercise and I can always count on you for same. Keep up the grand writing and critiques (albeit no one has time for multiple critiques) as both are precious to me. Bravo! Best, Mell

This Poem was Critiqued By: Turner Lee Williams On Date: 2003-10-16 01:51:28
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 8.70000
Thomas--great title--I mean I knew I wanted to check this piece out 'Point of Reference'. The rhymes are excellent also. You seemed to have set the 'maze' up by starting from the easiest and moving to the most difficult. This could even apply to a life cycle (Metaphor). Thanks for the puzzle. TLW

This Poem was Critiqued By: Erzahl Leo M. Espino On Date: 2003-10-09 22:58:31
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.66667
Hi Thomas, “Point Of Reference” --- I like your topic about the “crossroads of life”…and to make it through is to use the “compass of life”, probably through experiences or other “lessons in life”. Though your entire poem is a bit playful in words in general, readers can’t deny the depth and profundity of its message. Technically, I observed that you follow an “A-A-B” rhyming format. I appreciate your strict discipline on following such self-constricted style. “Enter this maze of reflection turn in another direction finding your way” --- Your introductory word “Enter” sets the mood of submission to life’s path. There is also a sense of self-discovery in your words here. “Likeness is found revolving around Now a piece of the riddle Think that you know lacking the whole part of the puzzle” --- The use and rhyming of “riddle” and “puzzle” is entertaining yet undeniably fitting too! The “mystery of life” continuously expounded here. “Knowing no fear Not shedding a tear unable to find a bearing knowing your plight one might have sight the final part of the set” --- The mind-boggling and intensity of your deep words are evident within the lines. Using the word “knowing” to start in both stanzas specify its consistency. Just one comment on the second “knowing” stanza, for uniformity sake I would suggest to let the first letter in capital. Well, just a minor suggestion for typo purposes only. :) “Facing reality Enter totality here is the way... Through this Maze” --- I like your styles and indentions…it helps the poem to be readable and friendly to the eyes. This is my favorite and I believe the most powerful lines of the entire poem. “Facing reality, Enter totality” are such strong words, yet it effectively summarizes your complete thought. Nice way to end your poem…comprehensively appropriate and fitting! Kudos on your fine work here Thomas! Thanks for posting this in TPL for us to contemplate! I sure enjoy the read! Looking forward to read more of your works! As always, Erzahl :)

This Poem was Critiqued By: Jennifer j Hill On Date: 2003-10-09 22:56:30
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.00000
Hi Tom. Good to see another of yours on my list. I so enjoyed "Strapped". Well, this is another thought provoking poem. And I love that. This poem actually works on more than one level. The "Point of Reference" you refer to I believe is our Creator. In todays world, it is hard to find our way through the maze of what is going on around us. We enter the maze reflecting on what we think is right, we turn to His light to find our way. If we think of it from wordly views we can not find our way. It is only through faith that we are able to find our way. Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I shall fear no evil. For thine art with me. We let him lead us through the maze by His Word and by His spirit. The stucture of this poem is very pleasing to the eye. The tricets are pleasant to look at and the rhymes are not forced at all. Knowing no fear Not shedding a tear unable to find a bearing That is my favorite stanza because we have to walk with Him in faith to win the race. The ending is good too: Facing reality Enter totality here is the way... Through this Maze Thanks for stimulating the old grey cells, Tom I enjoyed this one lots. Blessings, Jennifer

This Poem was Critiqued By: Joanne M Uppendahl On Date: 2003-10-08 13:21:07
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 10.00000
Hi Thomas: I enjoyed this piece for its deeply reflective tone. I found in it a parallel to the sacred maze/ labyrinth. Perhaps this is not your intent, nevertheless it is the way I found myself journeying mentally as I read. Poems with several levels of interpretation are among my favorites; this is one no exception. A maze/labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the imagery of a circle and a spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. The maze/labyrinth represents a journey to our own center and back again out into the world. That you have capitalized "Maze" gives this reader the impression that you are speaking metaphorically of an experience with our Creator, walking through the often confusing puzzle which makes up most of our lives. Enter this maze of reflection turn in another direction finding your way Labyrinths/mazes have long been meditation and prayer tools. They are a mysterious archetype with which we can have a direct experience. We can walk them as a metaphor for life's journey. They provide symbolic experiences that create a sacred space and place and take us out of our ego. Likeness is found revolving around Now a piece of the riddle Labyrinths and mazes are often compared. When most people hear of a labyrinth they think of a maze, like a puzzle to be solved with has twists, turns, and blind alleys. A labyrinth really only one path - the way in is the Way out. The journey leads us on a winding path to the center and out again. This involves intuition, creativity, and imagery, perhaps more than a merely intellectual exercise in logic and analysis, you show us here: Think that you know lacking the whole part of the puzzle With a maze many choices must be made and an active mind is needed to solve the problem of finding the center. It is difficult to be in an upheaval of emotion and anxiety and also negotiate the twists and turns of the maze: Knowing no fear Not shedding a tear unable to find a bearing Paradoxically, there is truly only one choice to be made. The choice to enter or not. A receptive mindset is needed. The choice is whether or not to walk a spiritual path. We must accomplish this, I think you are showing us here, by faith and not by "sight": knowing your plight one might have sight the final part of the set I believe that this poem contains a metaphor for the journey to the center of our deepest self and back out again with a broadened understanding of who we are: Facing reality Enter totality here is the way... Through this Maze Beautiful meditative poem, Thomas! Thank you for sharing this with us. All my best, Joanne

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