so you're not up to it.

[tectak]

giving critique honestly can help us when it comes to writing a poem, we see where that cliche is before we post the poem, we spot a lot more of what the poem should or shouldn't be before we post it. by reading critique we learn of poetic devices and where or where not to use them, both crafts are different i agree, but both are tied to the other. very often, the better you become at one, the more chance you have of becoming better at the other.

I am never ungrateful for feedback. The crits on this site have all got something to say. I tend to stick to "serious" because that is where I imagine most serious poets expect to receive crit based upon something other than basic syntax, punctuation or spelling. The forum rules amplify this requirement.
I am, though, worried. I left my last poetry site because it had turned in to nothing more than a saccharin sect of sycophantic self-congratulatory saddos. It all started to go wrong when the crits, not the poets, started to use those hackneyed horrors...awesome, wow and blown away.
Oh, I realise that freedom of speech can often mean dumbing down. That's the way of freedom in any sphere. If I had one wish, though, it would be the complete and outright banning of these puerile terms from ALL the forums...to the betterment of poetry at every level. When the crit has really got nothing to say but wow, awesome or that he/she is "blown away" what hope for us all.
Best,
tectak