NaPoWeek 2026 Challenge - Potionsmaster Thread

Here is the Potionsmaster Thread. Please post/edit your reviews accordingly.

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My review's on EllieMae's collection, Ladybug, fly away home

1. Everything in my dreams is me
2. please could you meet me at the cemetery
3. I have begged as much as words allow
4. How to breathe underwater

My final reflections:

Ellie's collection explores the idea that survival isn’t triumphant. It’s weak, fragile, and ongoing. I read the collection as a kind of study of the different ways a person can breathe. In 'Everything in my dreams is me', you breathe by realising you’re infinite; in the cemetery poem, the last breath is already behind you; in the third, the inhale finally arrives, but from within; and finally, in How to breathe underwater, you breathe by accepting fragility, with survival that doesn’t mean healing.

I loved the way the form changed throughout the poems, from diary-like prose to a prayer-like refrain, to a manual/instructional piece. I think my favourite thing about the poetry was that each poem ended without triumph, and the speaker learns to live in a hostile environment.

It was a really fascinating journey! <3

I reviewed the entirety of @spottedpebble's collection- This Existence is Our Livelihood.

Reviews-

1. Light Sensitivity
2. Stage Fright
3. A Tree Falls in the Forest
4. Silence=Death
5. Born to Live

Final reflections

Voice
I loved how consistently you carried the all-knowing narrator, who looks out for the best interests of the subject. Their valuable insight and feeling of care never wavers, though the tone may range between tough love and tender comfort. I feel like that variation only adds to it, and keeps the text interesting. The reader is torn between the assumptions of it being either a soft parent or a cold mentor, but I personally think it has a godly touch to it. In most works, I find that it's the narrator's doubts and struggles that pull the reader in. But here, it's the subject who deals with the baggage while the narrator seems to be helping them navigate. We still see vulnerability and pain, but from a second person perspective. I believe that it was a gamble to play, but one which payed off fairly well.

Layers of meaning
The imagery and metaphors have got to be my favorite part of the series! The way the scene of kept at and developed was very impressive, and it anchored me. The comparisons featured in the individual poems such as stars, stage, spotlight, trees, silence and death offered a fresh concept to ponder over. You still tied these both together flawlessly. They connected in meaning, and carried the story forward.

Purpose of order
So we started with a star burning unapologetically to being afraid of the attention, to a tree that will be seen even as it falls and then how silence is as good as death and lastly how life should not be lived in shame- everything comes rather full circle. The first and last pieces are so perfectly placed that it feels very rewarding to read as a whole. The middle pieces develop the narrative on low flame, bringing out the flavours perfectly. I like how the forest one with the most heavy symbolism is central, at the perfect time to comprehended for its complexity.

Theme
Everyone must love themselves wholly and be themselves in the face of the world that only wants to mould us to what it believes it desirable. It's simplicity definitely won me over, and how there's enough change to keep us hooked and yet enough coherency to bind everything together. I think it's such an important lesson too, in a time when the youth is plaqued by doubts. Overthinking and conformity are bigger problems now than before, and this collection caters to an overlooked audience who deserve more representation. It's a noble job, done in a way that deserves nothing but praise.

Reviewed EllieMae's Collection!

work/EllieMae/Everything-in-my-dreams-is-me-179827#c783804
work/EllieMae/please-could-you-meet-me-at-the-cemetery-179796#c783809
work/EllieMae/I-have-begged-as-much-as-words-allow-179830#c783814
work/EllieMae/How-to-breathe-underwater-179825#c783821

Final Reflections
This collection feels like a journey of personal struggle and discovery - coming to terms with human limitations, death, and re-connecting with the self. From the panic of the first poem to the peace of the final poem the speaker feels like they grow into a new self-understanding. Very enjoyable collection to read as a whole, with a strong sense of voice coming through and polished lines that make me want to brood over them and contemplate life.

One of my favorite aspects of this collection was how Poem 1 and Poem 3 felt like perfect mirrors in format and in content, it was a very satisfying palindrome-like experience to read through. The panic and agony of Poem 1 and 2 transitioned into a gentle strength and peace that came in Poem 3 and 4.