Mark Steven Scheffer's E-Mail Address: msscheffer@mac.com
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Below you will see ALL of the Critiques that Mark Steven Scheffer has given on The Poetic Link.
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Poem Title	Poet Name	Critique Given by Mark Steven Scheffer	Critique Date
Petals and Parchment	Lora Silvey	Lora, You paint nice sketches, and are a more than a capable poet. I haven't critiqued your poems because I still carry the sting of your hatchet job on Terry Anctil and everyone else that month on behalf of your "partner" Ms. Smyth: http://www.thepoeticlink.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=754 But that is what it is, and your poetry is what it is. And your poems are generally of a good quality. I particularly like one of yours that I'm working to on the list. I like to think I can write it up a bit. So I know (or believe) "snakes" can write poetry. Perhaps we have something in common. Though I imagine you would be inclined to think I only have myself pegged. :) MSS	2012-02-25 07:38:33
Wondering	Dellena Rovito	Dellena, Hislop will do that. Even sometimes with his poetry. :) This was tightly wound and carried me seamlessly beginning to end. For some reason I can't help thinking that raisins are kin to what kids call "boogers." Or is it "buggers"? We all know it as "snot." MSS	2012-02-25 07:26:30
Who's The Dog?	DeniMari Z.	Deni, Nice rapping quality to this. MSS	2012-02-25 07:22:40
Candles Burn Out	DeniMari Z.	Deni, Yes, we dance with ghosts. From your note, I see you more benignly and optimistically resolve that. For what you've been through, that's a remarkable testament. MSS	2012-02-25 07:21:56
as the world churns or caveman crossing	Ellen K Lewis	Ellen, You wrote this on a ribbon? Interesting. A blend of Genesis, Gospel of John, Proverbs, and Nietzsche . . . the ones that leap to mind. Mankind holding onto his "soiled self." Soiled. Fantastic. I love that. Wow. What a great way to refer to man, breathed into soil. Alliteration gives it that memorableness too. The best phrase I've come across here in awhile. MSS	2012-02-25 07:19:36
Running on Empty	DeniMari Z.	Deni, That last line: moments in this thing called life too often are like that. And when some of those moments tell you nothing matters . . . but maybe that's just me. I think Jackson Browne would like this. I did. MSS	2012-02-25 07:12:34
Communion	Mark Andrew Hislop	MAH, The last two stanzas stand out for me in this, another cerebral, deep Hislop piece. MSS	2012-02-25 06:58:39
Carnival Glass	Dellena Rovito	Dellena, I'm a sucker for fairs and carnivals, but that's not why I like this. I think the analogy between the colors of a carnival and the colors of the sky is excellent. And the connection between manipulation of the sky colors suggests that undertone of fraud and putting one over that attends carnivals - one suspects that less than scrupulous men are behind them both. I vaguely remember reading something from JCH about this. I feel like I'm trapped in a sleep and being forced to let a nightmare unfold. MSS	2012-02-10 20:46:00
Watermark	Mark Andrew Hislop	MAH, You had me all pellucid-minded and then you give me the turbid in the last stanza. Thank you for lifting the torpor. A good poem is one that inspires and gets your mind off it's ass. Which is sort of ironic since you by doing so you have triggered my tendency to the scatological; after all, water doesn't stain. I like the "simplicity" here, the change in key. Like bunting and running one out after hitting a home run. Nice. MSS	2012-02-10 20:38:23
Spell for Retrieving a Lover	Mark Andrew Hislop	MAH, I see Queen Mab hath been with you. Goddamn it if I don't hop on a plane and get down there right away. Better yet: a sailboat, and alone. Rimbaud was a prick he says. Nietzsche . . . now there was a prick. This poem gives me the creepy jeepies. Therefore . . . a huge success. MSS PS - you wanna crit? I lay you 5 to 1 I beat your ass and get the top critiquer award. If you want the action, don't announce it publicly. You have more friends here than I do. :)	2012-02-08 16:40:51
The Stew	Mark Andrew Hislop	MAH, Elements of mother, witch . . . you left out the best role. Hey, formalist, is this a sonnet? Nah, twelve lines. I remember that much. However you register it in the ranks of prosody, I like it. MSS	2012-02-08 16:27:12
Not a poem DON'T VOTE ON THIS	James C. Horak	JCH, Shit, this quotes reaches deep down, brother. Apropos. MSS	2012-01-18 17:08:59
Savor All * Save All	DeniMari Z.	Deni, I like to see this playing with rhyme and sound from you. Keep it going . . . nice one. MSS	2012-01-18 17:06:54
Upon Rocks	James C. Horak	JCH, Deftly done. I especially like the repetition in the "ly" sounds in the opening stanza, gives me the sense of the swirling, moving water of a river. I'm sure there are other subtle effects that move me to the overall impression. Nice. MSS	2012-01-18 17:05:49
Bending Physics	James C. Horak	James, Superb. The Ghost of Fall is stirring up the leaves, and something has been at work in you lo these few seasons since we last "met." MSS	2011-10-22 08:40:16
Spaces	Mark Andrew Hislop	MAH, I guess the drought ended for us in the same rain. Well, not quite the same rain, but . . . water coming down at the same time. Maybe the lass can wake up your muse. I was going to say, when I learned of your new circumstance, that it's odd: when that happened to me in the past, sparks were flying from my pen. Here's to you, your new love, and your inspiration! I'd say you found it. There's maybe 10 poets, living and dead, that I can not only tolerate, but revel in. You are one of them. Most of the others are somebodies, so . . . maybe my judgment's not too bad. :) MSS	2011-08-09 19:13:57
Fairytale Hell	DeniMari Z.	Deni, Cool. My score: 7.5. MSS	2011-02-06 16:26:02
Interlude with a Murderer	Michael Bird	Mr. Bird, It was a chore reading this through to the end. My score: 3. MSS	2011-02-06 16:24:26
Waves	cheyenne smyth	Ms. Smyth, Comparable to your other one, maybe a tad below: 7.5 MSS	2011-02-06 16:22:32
Integrating Night and Day	Mandie J Overocker	Mandie, I give this a 6. I don't mean to offend, but the system requires critiques for voting weight. And I have neither the time nor perhaps ability to give in depth critiques. With my humble apologies, this will have to do. MSS	2011-02-06 16:21:37
Bathing Anew	DeniMari Z.	Deni, Nice ending. My score: 7. MSS	2011-02-06 16:19:21
The Forest	cheyenne smyth	Ms.Smyth, Best I've read so far this month: 8. MSS	2011-02-06 16:18:29
uNseen	DeniMari Z.	Deni, I like this: 7. MSS	2011-02-06 16:17:25
Snow Grains Will Change	DeniMari Z.	Hey Deni. Hope all is well. I don't have much time to critique, but I want to amass voting weight to make a difference, so I'm scoring poems, like I used to. It will help me when it comes to voting, too. My "score": 6. MSS	2011-02-06 16:16:45
It must be time to write a poem	Mark Andrew Hislop	MAH, Any space in the Inn? The metaphor of the Muse fleeing is aberrant. Usually, the Muse kicks our ass out. Sorry. Just when you wanted escape comes Scheffer boy with his sour pudding. On the bright side is the time to write poems. MSS	2010-11-12 06:58:52
Abandoned	James C. Horak	JCH, I've sort of been waiting to come up with something significant to say, or else something more than, "hey, how have you been? This is deep." But the paint might or might not dry. So . . . Hey, how have you been? This is deep, like abandoning and being abandoned. I tried. And it is deep. And I liked it. MSS	2010-11-04 17:29:50
The twins	Mark Andrew Hislop	Matey, I like the 1st and the 4th mucho. Never been much into gardening (3rd stanza) . . . like the "soul unburied" in the 2nd. So, we got the daily double. But no trifecta or late double. Nix that third stanza - it destroys the run. TPL is like a high school reunion . . . I know that guy! (smile and hugs). And some ducking around corners at differences in the offing, too. MSS	2010-11-04 15:28:20
Two Here	James C. Horak	JCH, Yes, it's good to stop and think. This is a good poem to stick on a refrigerator door. The last stanza is exceedingly wise, timeless, and should be memorized and recited daily, like a prayer. MSS	2010-04-01 15:25:20
Thank You For Your Hospitality	DeniMari Z.	Deni, I love the fire, the anger in this. Righteous anger like a cloak of protection and protest over a tenderness and abiding love for the really human core - abused, assaulted, manipulated, raped. The majority moves contrarily to the force in this poem. Those who "scream" out, not necessarily the same "screamers" as in your first line, will very often become perpetual screamers, because their screams marginalize them further . . . and then they scream some more. Some noble souls try to rise above screaming, transform screaming. God bless them. As for me I'm a pissed off screamer, and will scream - pray God ever louder - until I spend my last breathe, like Ahab, on the whale. I like this. MSS	2010-04-01 10:12:54
The New Math	Thomas Edward Wright	TEW, Yes, but when you're playing Monopoly - granted it's just a meaningless game, this Monopoly - and someone is counterfeiting 500s and 100s, and putting green houses and red hotels on your cardboard . . . my general and innate response is "screw it." But to really implement "screw it," 4 acres in Birchrunville, PA is not enough. The State of Virginia, the Blue Ridge Mountain part, might be enough. But such is beyond my means. Of course, there's that life of the Spirit, and soul/mind adaptation. I'm a screwball and totally incompetent there. So I growse about the game. Your poem has inspired me to think about my growsing. Sorry for the digression. MSS	2010-03-28 08:01:56
The Virtues of a Parasite	James C. Horak	JCH, This one is a bit of a riddle to me. And I'm not sure that quote is accurate. I have to assume it's not until I see a credible source for the quote. I've no water to carry for Begin, but truth is truth. Jesus's phrase, "whited sepulchers," comes to mind in reading this. Am I on target? I hope the health care bill passes. It'll blow the lid off. The US won't be the same in 10, 15 years, maybe less. I think the best hope for us is its dismantling. You want a way out: just watch what happens, what the some states and strong state leadership does after this thing passes. Just watch. And Amen I say. The federal monolith centralizing authority and power in the hands of the "designers" here and making the "Pax Americana" there is shortest way for the monsters to implement their designs. Some might think I've gone off the deep end with all this secesh talk, but mark my words - shorter than 10 years I think, maybe 5 or even less. Watch developments. It's time for the people to rise and "alter and abolish" a government that doesn't secure their rights, but takes them away, and takes them away internationally. The time for hoping for representative change in Washington is OVER. This is the political weapon of hope, the objective, political remedy for humanity. It begins here, since America indeed is destined. MSS	2010-03-19 17:42:15
To A Muse, Who	Thomas Edward Wright	TEW, Thiasus? Ephemora? And last, but not least, that Dionysian being without wine, the Dyonsian ekphrastic. Not only does my Shadow lengthen secondly, minutely, hourly, daily, weekly, fortnightly, monthly, yearly into the ever commodious past, but there's this plethora of little shadows that breed incessantly under my Shadow. This is quite scary, this menagerie. I think in another life I was a circus tent. Heave, Ho, heave, Ho. No more keggers for you. MSS	2010-02-26 16:23:43
Base camp	Mark Andrew Hislop	MAH, Mate, I just love this one. I'll tell you what strikes me about it, what makes it different from your other work (which, as you know, I am very fond of all your stuff): there is not that same sense of contrivance, of elaborating a conceit, which sometimes give your work a feel of being a little too strained, and too clever. This one just flows. The language is natural, inspired - your Muse is carrying you, lifting you like a wind, and the old sail bellies. One of my favorites of yours. MSS	2010-02-24 18:35:25
The makers	Mark Andrew Hislop	MAH, Hey, he was a fucking guy. Some of us don't like talk, talk, talk. And we listen too much. Your Muse said the hell with this man talk and blew the beauty of women into the poem at "bucking darknesses." This American can't help but seeing the Almighty Buck in their somewhere. Taxation without representation and all that. Sort of like damnation without representation: but such is monarchy. The King sleeps behind this poem. But you, being a heathen (smile), are oblivious to that dimension. I pray for thee, MSS	2010-02-24 11:16:18
Tenured	Thomas Edward Wright	TEW, Having a bird's eye perch from which to judge this, I affirm it as a brilliant satire, incredibly rich in all the resources of the satirist, leaping off with puns galore from the title to the dedication. The satirist has created a poem, a brilliant satire, which deserves its due. The satirist's own eye perch, constricted like a hole in a cave, or a crack in a rock, is not of the artifact, and somewhat immune, anyway, from censure, being extremely dark to sight, and more darkened by the satirical mode of presentation, for anyone not in the same hole, or crack - such as I. But the satirical wit of the bird in the other perch is, as I say, deliciously noted. This poem would have been even more delicious under a pseudonym, such as Minnesota Snow Blower, or something. Not being as wittily satirical, my wits fail me . . . "and not for the first time, Inspector Anderson," I hear faintly retreating into the blizzardous night of Minnetonka. MSS	2010-02-22 11:32:33
Strands	James C. Horak	JCH, Probably the finest poem to come from your pen. As I remarked to you recently, the inner sanctum of mind/heart/will itself is under assault. I'm convinced that ultimately these scoundrels want to get inside of us, and own us COMPLETELY. Then their will not be any need to control the press or the internet - nothing will come from the "minds" of men and women that they need fear. A controlled free man or woman is still dangerous qua man or woman. But automatons are a different matter. Or, if not automatons, men or women who are controlled from the inside out, not outside in. When the inner sanctum is taken and gone . . . nothing remains. "Humanity" is dead and gone, deprived of their capacity to will, and cut off from God. MSS	2010-02-15 20:37:49
I Want to See Their Face Before...	James C. Horak	JCH, The first two stanzas are heavily populated by the letter n - interesting effect. The world's a dirty rotten place - you focus on one of the aberrant causes. You ball up that fist pretty good and direct in it the right direction, amigo. MSS	2010-02-13 16:15:29
Fairy Possible	DeniMari Z.	Nice, Deni. Fairies and winter whiteness are definitely a match. MSS	2010-02-13 10:51:36
Point Road Snow	Thomas Edward Wright	TEW, There is something in the nothing that is nothing (as Stevens said, leaving out the "something" - pregnant ellipsis). But the something is warm to flesh, entertaining, and beautiful. Their is a god in the transience; he dies, and rises again. Where have I heard that? MSS PS - I like this the first time. Still due.	2010-02-13 09:28:55
Life's Sentence	Thomas Edward Wright	Tom, The metaphorical richness is dazzling here. A formal feast: pun in the title; great metaphor of words as children moving over a page toward the pope (whose a great mysterious figure here); the dog poem paying at the moon . . . elaborate and rich. I'm not aware of anyone having an agenda against you and an eye toward structuring their vote so you don't win . . . so you should (in more ways than one) be ok with this. MSS	2010-02-13 09:24:18
February Contest Results	James C. Horak	JCH, The contest has always fueled this site. Some may scoff at that . . . but I think there is no coincidence in the heyday of Greek drama, the rivalry of the Elizabethan playwrights . . . competition is good. It played no small role in the way this site took of in its own heyday. Until a flashlight was put on the voting, and we had many running for cover. It's all about "accountability," and honesty, and integrity. Put all the cards on the table . . . don't run and hide. Be prepared to justify, and don't PLAY GAMES WITH THE VOTE. For example, neither Terry, Dellena, DeniMari, nor I ranked the winning poem very highly. Yet it still won. DeniMari did not rank Terry's poem highly. There is nothing wrong with preference, as long as it is honestly expressed. When their are inequities that some of us perceive, they can be addressed in a discussion of merit and how poems should be judged. It is not an exact science, aesthetics. But there can be growth and development in taste, and we all learn. But it's the damn manipulation, the "engineering" to direct the result. That defrauds the collective judgment. I maintain it happened last month, and it still stinks. Terry's poem took a 30 point plummet, suddenly and, again I stick to this and affirm it, someone did some engineering to make that happen. And it went totally unaddressed. I'll probably still post poems here. But the contest is tainted. In fact, it's a bit of a fraud with some manipulator hiding behind the results. The contest has lost a lot of its integrity, and we inevitably suffer. I don't know how I will ultimately address that. But I know a cancer must be addressed, either with resignation to death, or a fight for life. MSS	2010-02-08 10:58:56
Reposts Allowed for Contest	James C. Horak	JCH, Thanks, pal, for this infusion of good blood into the site. I'm going to repost some stuff I shouldn't have hidden . . . but some WON'T be eligible because they won in the past. The quality has almost moved us to the point - witness the last month - where, and I never thought I'd say this, the contest may be irrelevant. But the contest DID define this site and make it different, and that distinction fueled, I think, the difference that does really makes us different: a striving for excellent, as defined by the true MUSE, as Terry wisely pointed out to me in a critique reply. The TRUE MUSE, sort of like the Holy Spirit in the religious context, doesn't go for popularity and the appearances and opinions of men (institutional churches), with their misguided agendas. Rebirth has always been the key, to poetry and the Spirit. There is the spirit of being reborn here, methinks. You deserve a lot of credit. My hat's off to you. MSS	2010-02-01 16:45:18
Sun Shines Through Cracks	DeniMari Z.	Note to Deni: you found it. Very nice. I love this new mode from you. It's as if the shortened lines have released something. You've found poetry while shunning trying to be poetic. "Would we buy the sun a gift if we could" Just love that, love it. "Gold no gracious gratitude" See, you found dense poetry and heavy alliteration because you earned it by being honest. No need to aim at these things, just let them speak through you. They will. I truly love this, love this. One more time. :) One time Marilyn wrote something that I just loved . . . and I was the only person who voted for it. This one gets the same visceral response from me. But this one WILL get votes. Count on it. MSS	2010-01-28 18:03:11
In confidence	Mark Andrew Hislop	MAH, Well done. I don't think I've ever written a Petrarchan sonnet. I look at his somewhat from the outside, as I've absolutely no current attachment to the formal and mastering convention. Of course, that probably means I'll be writing Petrarchan sonnets tomorrow. Prompted and goaded by your influence, no doubt. So I can tell this is well done, and appreciate that, but I'm in the mood for Chinese and this is Italian. That "moon" however, and the lines pertaining thereto, struck a chord in me. MSS	2010-01-23 15:54:43
The Madness of Agenda	James C. Horak	Keep it going, James. I "wait" for the day I turn my pen again to these types of political issues. If the poem doesn't come from inside, it shouldn't be written. Perhaps my failure to write on these issues shows a deficiency in my character - but that's all I have to write from. As Stevens's said in "Mozart 1935," "Be thou the voice." For now. MSS	2010-01-23 15:29:05
Autumn Echoes	cheyenne smyth	Cheyenne, Very nice sonnet. Both the meter and the imagery were very accomplished. Solid and shows you know poetic form very well, and certainly are doing what you were meant to do: writing poetry. MSS	2010-01-23 15:23:48
Words	DeniMari Z.	Deni, I like this. Very confessional, very real. I found its voice refreshing. MSS	2010-01-23 15:20:42
From beyond	Mark Andrew Hislop	MAH, I sacrifice critiquer weight to get to you. Would shedding pounds were so easy. A keeper. My, what quality on this site now!!! And none of it canned for publication! The only sites now that compare to this, I think, are the ones with published poets who submit to the journals. And those fail by having their eye on a bogus prize: publication. The poetry smells of being written by the rules by those with MFAs who have been fed the rules. As Jesus said in another context: they have their reward. We rise toward a higher prize, I think. Deep work saying, "come back again and sit with me, and talk." I shall. MSS	2010-01-19 10:29:09
Tears Fall	cheyenne smyth	Cheyenne, JCH is right: but that may just be where I am right now (free verse). Your chisel is sharp, your hammer weighty, and your arm strong. You're very adept at the IP and formal verse, but heed JCH's advice and don't abandon this freedom that creates its own dimension. Nice work. MSS	2010-01-19 10:21:06
Rime On The Hoarfrost	Thomas Edward Wright	TEW, The frost performs its secret ministry (Coleridge) . . . of death (TEW). Neptunian, Plutonian darkness - one of my favorite colors. Deft short poem giving us wonderfully one of TEW's favorite words, "seriatim," with its usual TEW spin and punch. First round TKO. MSS	2010-01-19 10:18:13
Poem Title	Poet Name	Critique Given by Mark Steven Scheffer	Critique Date

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