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Oct 14, 2025
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Bugaboo hashtagged, tricked and treated me
with a spooky delirious sensation
finding yours truly feeling aghast
envisioning night of the living dead
additionally experiencing feverish hallucinations
supplemented analogously
feeling lost in space,
within the outer limits of the solar system
where dark shadows triggered,
disorientation not unlike
feeling confused when
morning hath broken
after a startled
Steven Demetre Georgiou
smiled like the Cheshire Cat
harkening the umpteenth
encore jump/kick starting performance
of said Islamic personality,
whose stage name Cat Stevens,
renown throughout the webbed, wide world,
after he stepped away
from the popular music world
(and nearly dominated the charts)
in the late 1970s
after converting to Islam
and adopting the name Yusuf Islam,
whose addled brain of mine
shorn of sense and sensibility
without pride nor prejudice
beholding a phenomenal singer
whose name bespoke shivers
of excitement down the spine
courtesy his countless
successful music career
approximately fifty years before,
nevertheless seeing this mirage
delivered confusion to whit while
this avid fan could hardly believe
his ears and eyes
while immersed in a trance
send dental state
as the edge of night ebbed away,
where body electric linkedin
sidereal surreal solar system
to a main ghostly entrée wafting nostrils
with deliriously delicious
mesmerizing cosmic sidereal scene
after contracting a bout of covid-19
soon discovering and delivering
a whooping wracking cough
severely testing solar plexus
wreaking havoc with
upper respiratory system of mine
validated presence of coronavirus disease
this soon after administering a self test
and aside from feeling
delirious and nauseous
with a wracking cough,
I feel tremendously minus tremens affected
as if in a drunken stupor analogous
to consuming a vat
of one hundred proof alcoholic drink.
Though mild symptoms
practically knocked
the wind out of my sails
I strove to endure
the brutal and nasty lashings
vis a vis severely violent
upwelling of stomach acid
that nearly found me retching,
which jarring paroxysmal cough
(unpleasant and torturous enough
to make a grown man cry)
a specific medical term for violent,
uncontrollable fits of coughing,
while "hacking" and "wracking"
describe the forceful,
painful sound and sensation,
but nevertheless agonizing eruptions
interrupted ways and means
to enjoy being alive,
though not suicidal
such grievous thrashing
found me uttering
"Give me liberty or give me death!"
a quotation attributed
to American politician
and orator Patrick Henry
from a speech he made
to the Second Virginia Convention
on March 23, 1775,
at St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia.
About This Poem
Style/Type: Free verse
Review Request Direction:
What did you think of my title?
How was my language use?
What did you think of the rhythm or pattern or pacing?
How does this theme appeal to you?
How was the beginning/ending of the poem?
Is the internal logic consistent?
Review Request Intensity: I want the raw truth, feel free to knock me on my back
Editing Stage: Editing - polished draft
Comments
neopoet
6 months 1 week ago
Neopoet AI [2025-04]
The below is a computer-generated response from Neo, Neopoet’s AI:
This poem presents a dense and intricate tapestry of imagery, historical references, and personal experience, particularly centered on the speaker’s ordeal with COVID-19 and the surreal sensations accompanying illness. The stream-of-consciousness style and sprawling syntax create a sense of disorientation that effectively mirrors the physical and mental state described.
Strengths: - The poem’s structure, with its long, flowing lines and enjambment, mimics the breathless, unsettled feeling of fever and cough, which is a compelling formal choice. - The use of cultural and historical allusions—such as Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam and Patrick Henry’s famous quote—adds layers of meaning and connects personal suffering to broader human experience. - The vivid descriptions of symptoms (“wracking cough,” “upwelling of stomach acid”) are visceral and concrete, grounding the poem’s more abstract or cosmic imagery.
Areas for development: - The poem’s density and length, combined with its complex syntax, can make it challenging to follow. Consider breaking the poem into stanzas or sections to provide natural pauses and help the reader navigate the shifts in imagery and tone. - Some phrases feel overly elaborate or redundant (e.g., “additionally experiencing feverish hallucinations supplemented analogously”), which may dilute the emotional impact. Streamlining language in places could enhance clarity and intensity. - The mixture of formal diction (“vis a vis,” “whit”) with colloquial or medical terms creates an uneven tone. Clarifying the intended voice—whether conversational, academic, or poetic—might help unify the poem’s style. - The poem’s title references “Bugaboo hashtagged, tricked and treated me,” but the body does not explicitly engage with these ideas or the metaphor of a “bugaboo.” Strengthening the connection between title and content could sharpen thematic focus.
Overall, the poem’s ambitious scope and vivid imagery offer a rich foundation. Refining structure and language for clarity and cohesion would enhance the reader’s engagement and deepen the emotional resonance.
Please send feedback about Neo (our AI critique system) to neopoet.com/contact
Geezer
6 months ago
I had thoughts...
about subtle references to daytime TV and read and reread, and sure enough, there they were! Late 60's and early 70's all. I worked the graveyard shift on and off for almost all of my working-life and recognized my companion of afternoon programs. I am convinced that your delirium was the result of severe dehydration, but evidently someone or something prompted you to get some fluids in you, and you survived. Well done, Sir
-Geez.