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This poem is part of the contest:

08/26 New Member Contest

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Songs (A Poem)

Songs

For me

Are like poems, or

A pot of tea.

Aroma and flavor

To pour over my soul --

To enhance my moment --

To soften a conversation --

To feel proper --

To feel strong --

Even in

Pajamas.

 

Songs --

I prefer --

Are not seen

With eyes that skepti-cize

My em-dash

To analyze

My word choice;

To correct my length

Of line.

 

Songs

Are read with ears

That can't spell any

thing --

But enunciate meanings

So that meaning can take on

A new shape --

And form ideas,

Or toss emotion

From here to there.

One varied measure can

Turn one word into

Mull - tea - bowl.

 

Poems

Are OK too --

If your ears are tired

And you have enough quiet

To think the words into your head

Over your children's voices

And enough patience

To pick apart the ambiance

Left unsaid

Between the lines --

Like in that text

From their teacher.

 

But...

 

Songs

Are the language of

Forever and the building

Blocks of memory --

And I would much rather

Dip my words into the

batter of forever.

 

Right now

Poems and songs are held

At arms-length by

Thought-hunters.

 

Did this come from your mind?

Did you rhyme this word this time?

Are you an unprompted author?

How can we trust you?

 

How can I trust you?

I reply... with a song.

And they write back

In a poem:

You can't.

 

Well, I guess I will

Keep on washing

My words of imperfections

And hang up my work

For free

On one line

Then another.

 

And -- maybe -- some child

Somewhere,

Maybe here,

Will love it

And not care

To ask if I am who I am

Because I am.

And I enjoy

The smell of 

Clean laundry

And tea.

— Reagan Reynolds, Aug 08, 2026

About This Poem

Last Few Words: Thank you for reading!

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: Final polish

About the Author

Country/Region: USA

This user supports Neopoet so it can be free to all

More from this author

Critiques

neopoet

neopoet

1 week 1 day ago

Neopoet AI [2026-06]

The below is a computer-generated response from Neo, Neopoet’s AI:

The poem's strongest section is its opening movement, where the tea comparison earns its place. The pairing of aroma and flavor with the functions listed — softening a conversation, feeling strong, even in pajamas — has a warmth that feels lived-in rather than decorative, and the final word of that stanza lands with genuine wit. The laundry image at the close echoes this domestic register effectively, and the circularity back to tea gives the whole piece a satisfying frame.

The middle sections, however, carry more weight than the poem's current structure can support. The turn toward AI authorship and trust is an interesting and timely subject, but it arrives somewhat abruptly, and the lines "Did this come from your mind" through "You can't" feel more like a summary of a debate than a poem working through one. The self-referential moment where the poem names its own em-dash and word choice risks deflecting rather than deepening the tension. A revision might consider letting the imagery do more of the argumentative work — the laundry metaphor at the end does this quietly and well, and expanding that kind of concrete figuration into the trust section could give those stakes more resonance than the direct rhetorical questions currently provide.

Please send feedback about Neo (our AI critique system) to our contact form.

Tink

Tink

6 days 20 hours ago

Howdy! I'm Tink

Welcome to Neopoet!

Thank you for posting your first piece with us!!

IN complete honesty and transparency, Longer poem seem to lose my attention. I am not sure why. I find myself forcing myself to keep reading. I always go back and reread. I wish i understand what it is in my brain that checks out. That said, I very much enjoyed the comparison of a poem to a song. I never thought of the two the way you described. Very interesting!

I personally would love to see you this one work split into three parts. One about the song, one about the poem and the third of the differences. Or maybe even leaving this as is and following up with a song and a poem. Both of which are the same but written as you suggest to show the differences, of a song vs a poem, if that makes sense. 

Again, this all is only my opinion. Take from me what you can use and leave the rest. I would just love for you to follow this up with two pieces the same but one a song, one a poem to SHOW not TELL us the difference. I look forward to reading more of your work!!

Please reach out if you have any questions or need help navigating through Neopoet. You can usually find me in the chatroom. We just launched our themed chatrooms, Geezer is hosting a room on Saturday nights, Myself on Friday nights and BlueSkies on Monday nights. You can find them on the calendar events. Hope you can visit!! We would love to have you join us!!

Live, Love, Laugh 

(and don't forget to Write!!)

Yours in Ink,

Tink

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