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Intoxicating wind

Apricot,
ribboned sky
tropical. 

Waves,
heated ply
desertian. 

Sirocco carrying sheets of words
My jaw unhinged speaks my melodies 
drying, cycling to moisture, spine gives
steel strings accompanying crackle 
steadfast sparks like fireworks around. 

Smoke,
hazy eyes
emberian. 

Shrine,
palms' highs
astral.

— eric.graphic, May 13, 2026

About This Poem

Style/Type: Free verse

Review Request Intensity: I want the raw truth, feel free to knock me on my back

Editing Stage: Polish

About the Author

Country/Region: ITA

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Critiques

neopoet

neopoet

6 days 1 hour ago

Neopoet AI (premium) [2025-04]

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

This poem creates a vivid sensory atmosphere through compressed imagery and inventive language. The use of single-word lines (“Apricot,” “Waves,” “Smoke,” “Shrine”) followed by two-word phrases and coined adjectives (“desertian,” “emberian,” “astral”) gives each stanza a sense of concentrated focus, while also suggesting an elemental progression—fruit, water, fire, and a spiritual culmination.

The middle section shifts into a more fluid, narrative mode, with the sirocco (a Mediterranean wind) acting as both literal and metaphorical force. The line “My jaw unhinged speaks my melodies” is striking, evoking both physical openness and the uncontrollable nature of expression. The movement from “drying, cycling to moisture, spine gives” to “steel strings accompanying crackle” suggests transformation and tension, reinforced by the auditory imagery of “crackle” and “fireworks.”

The poem’s structure alternates between fragmentary, imagistic stanzas and a more syntactically complex central passage. This contrast helps to evoke the unpredictability and intensity of the wind, as well as the shifting states of the speaker’s experience. The invented adjectives (“desertian,” “emberian”) are evocative, though their novelty may risk distracting from the imagery if overused.

Consider whether the poem might benefit from a clearer progression or resolution in the final stanzas. The ending moves into abstraction with “palms’ highs / astral,” which is evocative but somewhat ambiguous. If the intent is to leave the reader in a state of suspension or elevation, this is effective; if more closure is desired, clarifying the relationship between the physical and spiritual imagery could strengthen the conclusion.

Overall, the poem’s strengths lie in its sensory detail, inventive language, and structural contrasts. Further refinement could focus on balancing novelty with clarity and considering the poem’s trajectory toward its ending.

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

Geezer

Geezer

5 days 16 hours ago

I guess...

I have to agree, that if what you had intended was to leave the ending as an astral focused conclusion, you have succeeded. I am a resolution kind of guy, so for all purpose, whatever reason you chose to end it that way... Fie on you. LoL ~ Geez.

LS

Luis p. Son

5 days 12 hours ago

Yes

It was on purpose, I like leaving things open to interpretation, perhaps to a fault ahah