Eve

[ellajam]

what a strange conclusion: "i have failed to convey my meaning well enough. i will remove the poem."
this site would be pretty empty and otherwise filled with blunt statements if everyone followed this line of thought.
try to make it clearer.

If I explain each line will it help?  I want it to be more accessible while at the same time retaining all its subtleties.  I fear I've read it too many times, and know it too intimately to be able to objectively look at it with brand new eyes.  I meant for it to elicit a negative response in people after initial read, but I didn't think it would relate to how they critique as well.

Relax No need to remove the poem or explain it. I suggest you give yourself, the poem and the site a little time, think about the crit and get some distance from the poem. Then you can decide if an edit will get your meaning across better than the current version or if you'd like to stick with it.

A purposely elicited negative response is not necessarily followed by a negative critique, just as a positive one is never guaranteed.

Immediate success is rare.