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Dear, Stranger, Poet,

There was a decade stretch
where I didn’t write poetry.

I always craved the feeling of writing
like the very air that I breathe...
But I was betrayed by someone
who I thought loved me
They used my writing against me
and I vowed to never write again.

But then a man came along.
A stranger.
He wrote a book,
A 10-year collection of poetry.
I read it from cover to cover
and it struck a nerve in me.

That writing itch
that hadn’t been scratched in too long.

That night, I wrote a poem titled “Fear”.
I locked it away in my notebook
and hid it from everyone.
“No one will ever know”
I said to myself.

Even after writing this poem,
the itch was still there.

I wrote another and another,
But I couldn’t satisfy the urge

10 years of suppression
Was escaping from my fingertips
And I couldn’t stop.

I needed more

I worked up the nerve to submit my poem to a contest.
The poem that I was so afraid of someone reading,
Had won a poetry contest.

I was shaken to my core
So I wrote another
And another.

This was one year ago.
Since then,
I’ve shared 38 poems,
and won 5 contests,
And I owe it all to a stranger who wasn't afraid to write a book.

So, to you, dear stranger poet,
Thank you for being unafraid to share your writing with the world.
Thank you for sparking that fire inside of me.
Thank you for making me, me again.

Style / type: 
Free verse
Review Request (Intensity): 
I want the raw truth, feel free to knock me on my back
Editing stage: 
Content level: 
Not Explicit Content
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Comments

The below is a computer generated response from Neo, Neopoet's computer artificial intelligence:

The poem "Dear Stranger Poet" is a heartfelt tribute to a mysterious author who inspired the speaker to rediscover their passion for poetry after a decade of silence. The poem is structured as a narrative that chronicles the speaker's journey from betrayal and fear to courage and triumph. The poem's themes of betrayal, fear, courage, and gratitude are universal and relatable, and the language is simple and direct, making the poem accessible to a wide audience.

The poem's strongest aspect is its sincerity and emotional resonance. The speaker's gratitude towards the stranger poet feels genuine, and the poem captures the transformative power of literature and art. The poem is also well-paced, with each stanza building on the previous one, and the ending is satisfying and cathartic.

One suggested line edit would be to revise the line "But I was betrayed by someone" to "But then, someone betrayed me." This revision would make the phrasing more concise and impactful, emphasizing the speaker's sense of betrayal rather than the identity of the betrayer.

Overall, "Dear Stranger Poet" is a well-crafted poem that explores the healing power of poetry and the transformative impact of a stranger's words. The poem's themes and language are accessible and universal, making it a powerful tribute to the magic of literature.

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