[Certain]

I really enjoyed this verse. I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you on it. You showed tremendous patience in your writing, with a terrific choice of descriptors and a complete and total willingness to commit to the subtlety that made this work. Had you brought specifics about why the drug backfired, the entire thing would have been ruined. Actually, the worst line in the verse by far was "By night, I watched the news reports & counted the little guys killed." For one, I could almost feel you squeeming when you wrote that, unsure of whether you wanted to go that far with it. The language and tone didn't follow with your verse, either. But you wanted to provide stakes, that one slight dumb-down-for-my-audience-to-double-my-votes moment. The first stanza had a lot of great hints. I loved the return to the drinking glasses and alcohol choices. (Actually, I would have preferred had you ended with the chipped mug instead of the last clause, as it would have made the wrapping feel even more complete.)

Now, as you probably know, if you were facing an elite writer, you might have to deliver more than this. Some shitty voters won't even consider a great 16-line verse against a good 40-line verse, though others will. But you showed all the tools, with some creative rhymes and that knack for phrasing and deft touch, to go far in topical writing just as you have in battling. I kind of expected that out of you, since your wording is really good in the battles I've read. But this was even a pleasant surprise beyond that, as your take on the topic was rather creative. Thanks for the read, and I hope you stick with it.