01-16-2026, 11:08 AM
Poetry (especially in forms) is problem-solving, and critique (1) shows where the solution was bad or could be improved, and (2) presents new problems to solve.
Because/also, as a master programmer said about bug hunts, "I'm better than you are, and you're better than I am." As a total amateur, I can still look at a published poet's work and (occasionally) find a problem - even suggest a solution. And (drop the high-low) you can look at something I sweated blood over for weeks and put your finger on an obvious deficiency after one reading. It's not necessarily fresh eyes, just different.
Because/also, as a master programmer said about bug hunts, "I'm better than you are, and you're better than I am." As a total amateur, I can still look at a published poet's work and (occasionally) find a problem - even suggest a solution. And (drop the high-low) you can look at something I sweated blood over for weeks and put your finger on an obvious deficiency after one reading. It's not necessarily fresh eyes, just different.
Non-practicing atheist