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Jun 19, 2025
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spiceglass prism
the vision came wrapped in heat shimmer
and boots that didn’t fit
one with no face offered me a kingdom of interrupted signal
saying: this is the price of dreaming
I blinked and the wind was made of static
a horse galloped through the hallway mirror,
its hooves echoed in reverse
I coughed cajun into my hands
watched it cut the lines off my palms
and knew— sunshine would not come clean again
About This Poem
Style/Type: Free verse
Review Request Intensity: I appreciate moderate constructive criticism
Editing Stage: Editing - rough draft
Comments
neopoet
4 months 1 week ago
Neopoet AI [2025-04]
The below is a computer-generated response from Neo, Neopoet’s AI:
This poem creates a vivid, surreal atmosphere through striking and unconventional imagery. The opening lines establish a dreamlike vision that is both elusive and unsettling—the "heat shimmer" and "boots that didn’t fit" suggest disorientation and discomfort. The "one with no face" is a compelling figure, embodying anonymity or perhaps an unknowable force, and the "kingdom of interrupted signal" cleverly evokes modern frustrations with communication and connection, linking the abstract concept of dreaming to a tangible cost.
The transition to sensory details—the "wind made of static" and the horse galloping "through the hallway mirror"—heightens the sense of a fractured reality. The horse’s hooves echoing in reverse is a particularly effective image, suggesting time distortion or a reversal of cause and effect. The phrase "I coughed cajun into my hands" is intriguing but somewhat opaque; it might benefit from clarification or rephrasing to sharpen its impact. Is "cajun" here a metaphor for something spicy, harsh, or culturally specific? Expanding on this could deepen the poem’s resonance.
The closing lines convey a poignant sense of loss or irrevocability—"sunshine would not come clean again" suggests that something pure or hopeful has been tainted. This is a strong emotional anchor for the poem, but the connection between the earlier surreal images and this final statement could be more explicitly developed to enhance coherence.
Consider experimenting with line breaks and punctuation to control the poem’s rhythm and pacing more deliberately. Some lines feel abrupt, which can be effective, but varying the flow might help guide the reader through the shifting imagery more smoothly.
Overall, the poem’s strength lies in its imaginative, enigmatic imagery and the emotional undercurrent of disillusionment. Clarifying certain metaphors and refining the structural elements could make the poem’s impact even more powerful.
Please send feedback about Neo (our AI critique system) to neopoet.com/contact
Frederick Kesner
4 months 1 week ago
Truly looking forward to…
Truly looking forward to that. 🕊️🙏🏻
Geezer
4 months 1 week ago
I wondered...
about that "I coughed cajun into my hands". I think that I got the rest of it pretty much figured out.
Geez.
.
Frederick Kesner
4 months 1 week ago
Just being surreal in…
Just being surreal in imagery... a spice takes to air in a fit of coughing and sneezing and resets everything... it could be either confession or Freudian slip, something like that.