THE WEEK I COULDN'T BEND

I really like this—the feeling of getting dragged back into a bad memory is so real, especially lines like 'pinned to the present.' It might flow better if the opening dropped the rhyming to fit the free-verse style of the rest, and tweaking a few line choices like 'bottomless nightmare' to focus on raw, physical details would make the panic feel even heavier.

I enjoyed this poem. The idea of a single week becoming something endless comes through well. The imagery of time folding, spinning, and finally snapping back into the present gives the poem a coherent shape. “A June that wouldn’t end, a week I couldn’t bend” is especially effective; it gives the poem its identity while also tying neatly into the opening “wrinkle in time” image. I liked the ending, “pinned to the present,” which makes the return from memory feel physical rather than merely metaphorical.

There are a few places where the wording becomes harder to follow. “My mind, tight once light” is difficult to parse, and “Just by remembering, by seeing, that was my agreeing” feels more forced than the rest of the poem. The middle section also becomes somewhat list-like with the progression through Monday and Tuesday, though the ticking-clock and endless-sheet imagery help maintain the tension.

Thank you for this read.

The poem has some really strong imagery, especially in the parts with the ticking clock, the endless sheet, and the final bell. Those details make the memory feel much more real because they give the reader something specific to picture instead of only describing the panic. That fits well with Ezra Pound’s idea that poetry should be direct and precise.

I do think some of the broader phrases, like “bottomless nightmare” and “frozen in panic,” could be made more specific. Pound focused a lot on cutting unnecessary language and letting the image carry the emotion, so the poem might be stronger if it trusted those details more. The rhythm also feels a little forced in places, especially with lines like “agreeing” and “clearing,” so letting the wording flow more naturally could help the poem feel smoother.

I really liked how this poem takes us through the week almost like we are experiencing it alongside you. The days being mentioned one by one made the memories feel more real, and I especially liked the feeling of being trapped between the past and the present. The ending was also really effective because it showed that even after the week was over, the memory was still affecting you. A very emotional and relatable piece.