11-04-2012, 10:22 PM
When a poem doesn't do a thing for me, not a single thing...I might pass on it. If I can figure out why I'm ambivalent to it than I'll try to write a critique on that. If I feel that it is probably well done but just doesn't do anything for me...again I'll pass.
When I can't figure out what a poem means I'll read it a few times slowly and then make an attempt usually line-by-line sometimes five to ten lines in something comes to me. If it does: great. If it doesn't: I don't worry about it and press on and take the risk of being wrong. Which isn't that bad of a risk. Worst case the poet see that at least for me the poem lacked clarity. The thing is there still has to be something there that interests me it can't just be a mental puzzle that I'm trying to solve.
When I can't figure out what a poem means I'll read it a few times slowly and then make an attempt usually line-by-line sometimes five to ten lines in something comes to me. If it does: great. If it doesn't: I don't worry about it and press on and take the risk of being wrong. Which isn't that bad of a risk. Worst case the poet see that at least for me the poem lacked clarity. The thing is there still has to be something there that interests me it can't just be a mental puzzle that I'm trying to solve.
The secret of poetry is cruelty.--Jon Anderson