1. Everyone would have empathy. 2. Fatty, sugary and carb-filled foods would be good for you. 3. I'd make my parents' cat love me :( oh hell- I'd make him love anyone who isn't him.

'Candy Thermometer' should have been your first red flag. 😂 I kid, I admire anyone who can muster the courage to make desserts.

I might take a slightly different direction in my approach to this question because it's the only 'double' standard I can think of, but perhaps different genders (in this case, I think this predominantly affects cis gendered men and women) have different expectations on what they- and others- feel they should write about. A lot of monetising young fem and some masc poets I have noticed tend to refer to the same pigeon holes when it comes to choosing subject matters to write about (love, sex, insecurity/self-esteem issues, etc.) There is nothing inherently wrong with this of course, but there are reasons as to why this pattern emerges so often; i think it is a combination of appealing to readers (often young and sometimes vapid people) and therefore expanding their audience in pursuit of more revenue, perhaps a lack of adventurousness from the writer, the writer's own (maybe) unhealthy fixation on their self and people who have such a profound influence on them. Art is art and it does say a lot about the state of the self and the current world so it is all valid and insightful, but this kind of pigeon-holing might also negatively reflect on the writer and reinforce harmful stereotypes and impressions of young female writers, predominantly. It's also setting the creative bar quite low for these writers, almost to the point it is patronising them and stifling their creative growth. Daring to dream and being curious about the world around you as a whole is a way to break out of these pigeon holes and embrace one's highest potential artistically. I could expand on what I have said above but I think I have officially exhausted all of my philosophising from my uni days, lol.

And I like we've all received those 'Promote it here: _____' comments. Instantly after posting. Every. Damn. Time.

Sometimes, I think simply saying 'I love this!' speaks volumes, provided it is a genuine reflection one's feelings towards a poem. That's if you're not fussed about receiving the most broad/basic of responses.

Love it, Marc 😂 I cannot believe I missed that target entirely.

It's gonna be hard to top Ken's example, that's for sure :P Have you got an example of your own, Marc?

Comments perceived as "condescending" are permissible provided the author has asked for feedback. Assuming you're talking about the culture of the Cove, then I would say keep constructive, egotistical or condescending comments for the Feedback thread. I think we've all been guilty of micro-analysing poems on the Share Your Poetry thread which, in actuality, were not called for and may have been a little jarring for the author to read- especially if all they wanted to do was share a poem they were excited to share with others.

Right back at ya, Marc!

I like how this poem breaks the fourth wall by addressing the great elephant in the 21st Century room: modern-day problems and challenges the poetry community face on social media every day.

Do share, Ken, if you are comfortable to :P

Now that I'm back, please do keep me posted with this!

No worries at all, Rich! We are manifesting very positive energy for you. I was going to check in with you as well after my vacation and felt bad I didn't get to on time. We are wishing you all the very best and are anticipating your return, whenever that may be. In the meantime, prioritise yourself, and take all the time you need!

I think it's good to bounce between hobbies; there's a lot to explore and try out there and you never know where it will lead you and what it will help you discover about yourself.

That's pretty awesome, Marc! Hopefully we get to see some of that footage one day :P

I know we're supposed to be on holiday but I can't resist a good ol' fashion drinking game, albeit it, virtually. Never have I ever: been on the verge of a mental breakdown because that one line just doesn't work!!!

There are countless poems out there that feature brevity and are truly fantastic pieces of work; it's all in the way you story-tell and express yourself- after all, anyone can just Google search a synonym (such as myself, lol). I know Marc's work is a testament to anti-pretentious poetry and personally, it demonstrates a hell of a lot of skill and selectiveness.

Hey Rich! I ensure that I've put effort into each poem I write. This varies based on the type of poem it is but generally speaking, I don't want my poems to appear as if they only took me 10 seconds to write; some people might have that gift, but not me :P Also generally speaking, I like my poems to be multi-layered or at least contain some double-speak to illuminate more of the meaning of the poem. How about yourself?

Oo, great one! Very powerful and says so much in such few words. It gives me echoes of Descartes' 'I think therefore I am'.