Nurtured Ears

This one leaves me speechless.
Each line deserves its own comment but it also feels wrong to separate them from the whole.
It seems deeply personal, almost as if it is about someone who shaped important part of you. Different forms of art blend into one, and it sounded like you became instrument in someone's hands, canvas. Ending, last four stanzas, are especially moving.
I honestly can't express how remarkable this is. I love it. It is priceless. One of the greatest poems I've read.

There's so much about this piece that's admirable!

First of all, the way you intertwined various forms of art. Cooking, music, writing, painting. They all had their own "section" within the poem yet all of them blended together, perfectly. You have an eye for transition because I know you always use several images within your poems, but still you can make them one.

It must be your subtleness of juxtaposing several "key words" that will remind us of something without you exactly naming it. Such as "melody" for music, and "paint brush" for painting:
"as though you had
taken a paint brush
to my spine and
danced a melody."
^ It obviously shows how his music impacts you the way your own art does. It not only shows a connection between these two kinds of arts, but also a connection between the two lovers. You and Zach must be a harmonic couple. :)

Secondly, I admired your subtle touch of humour within this piece:
"yet still I sat,
a cooking disaster,

chin dusted
with cocoa and
the thought of a
messy kitchen
escaping my mind."
^ When I first read this, I thought you were saying "cookie disaster". It made sense to me since I imagined you being like a cookie monster (no offence, lol), so I kept reading it like that for 10 times or so. But "cooking disaster" works as well, I liked the funnily dramatic effect of the word "disaster". Along with the cacao powder and messy background, I truly enjoyed to see this goofy side of yours. :)

Thirdly, the depth of the second half of this poem. While the first half were like babysteps into the journey of art, the second half was truly mature and emotional. I liked the way you could just switch to such a tone without the reader taking much notice of it. Perhaps it's due to the similarity between two halves, in action. Such as touching and tangling.

Which brings me to the fourth thing I like about this poem: the sense that it's not only as if both of your arts are intertwined, but also the two lovers. Him slightly touching your rib cage, and being tangled in your scarves, it's vivid and romantic.

Truly a well-deserved win, congrats!

Wow, loved this piece, it was like soft music to sooth the mind. It describes that feeling you get when you're watching someone admirably from afar, like peering through a window to their personality. When you're mesmerized by the person in front of you and all words and thought escapes your mind. I could live that moment with you while I read. :)

I feel as though you don't need 'Tonight,' to begin the poem as you say 'It was tonight,' later on, though if you were trying to emphasize the moment in time I suppose I can see why you did that, however just a suggestion.

'Nurtured Ears' turned out to be a lovely title, as his music is soothing to you, very beautiful.

I found myself getting really tangled up in the punctuation of this piece, there is definitely a lot more it seems in this poem than you typically use. So I feel the need to suggest a few things, 'cause at times I felt myself stumbling over the flow due to this.

'Your music
it settled me -'
^I feel you should take out 'it' here, it would sound much better to me, though it is entirely up to you. Otherwise, a comma after music would work also, but that's just more punctuation, and I feel as though maybe you should eliminate some if possible.

I would capitalize 'A cookie lay' just because it's a new thought, after a period. Sorry for being so technical on the grammar; It's definitely one of my pet peeves. Also makes the poem look a bit neater.

'yet still I sat,
a cooking disaster,

chin dusted
with cocoa and
the thought of a
messy kitchen
escaping my mind.'
^I adored this part a lot, as I saw myself in this part though of course you were speaking of yourself I could connect quite well since I am a baker after all. Loved the metaphor of the 'cooking disaster', this definitely fits perfectly with your poem and speaks of something you're passionate about while at the same time it's a way of expressing your emotions and how perhaps his music makes you feel.

'It was tonight,
I realized your music
was like my poetry

The snare
your own battlefield,

the bass -
your pulse and though
it had knotted my hair
too many times

I was calm.'
^Got tripped up on the punctuation here again. I feel it may need to be read over so that punctuation is place more effectively. Some of the pauses seem misplaced. However aside from that, I love how here, you continue to expand on that emotional attachment you have with his music. It seems as though it makes you feel many different emotions. They seem jumbled at first, then it - the music - seems like it soothes you.

'and saw your heart
in the shape of a
16th note. '
^I am in awe of this. It's beautiful and I adored it so much. Never quite heard of anything like this before, but it is truly brilliant. It's far from your typical cliches, very original & a great reference to music once again.

You've wrote another masterpiece. I'm not quite sure how you do it Mel. My only suggestion is the punctuation, it just seemed a little off which in a way interrupted the flow at times for me. But you've definitely rocked this poem aside from that, this is very gorgeous. The thought two people blending together through poetry & music is absolutely beautiful. I'm speechless.

'

This is such a descriptive, tender, sensational, and magnificent piece of art..

I love it!

The cookie part is amazing.. The details are what make this poem alive!

Great job