poetry with zero replies

[billy]

I agree about the critique part. I may or may not have something to say that's not positive about someone's poem, but I am easily influenced by others comments too and I think "Hmmm...so-and-so didn't mention this thing, so I guess it's not worth me mentioning it either." Or "So-and-so didn't find any issues with this poem, so this thing bothering me must be my imagination." Usually I start out reading a poem and by the time I get to the end, I can't think even where to begin or how, or if I even should, especially if things I saw nobody else even cared about.

the odds sare more likely to be that they didn't see through your eyes it precisely those things we should mention, feedback would be crap if we all see the same thing and all leave the same thing out.

In language (particularly spelling and grammar), I'm a perfectionist, but through my work I learned that everyone else hates a perfectionist, so I leave people alone and let them write how they will (unless I'm doing my job). If I have something positive to say, or something, anything that is not trying to correct someone else's writing/English, then I will.

often a poem without grammar is really easy to spot....it has no grammar, like wise a poem with bad grammar is also easy to spot..correct, because it has bad grammar. on the one hand you can give thoughts as to why the no grammar poem works or doesn't work, on the other, not all of use are good at grammar so it's often a help when bad grammar is pointed out, i'm always thankful for the grammar police

Concerning "meter" and "refrains"--I don't know about them either. For me there is rhythm and there is rhyme. I guess I learned about meter a million years ago in school, but I haven't a clue... You can either write poetry "by-the-book" or you can write it by your own heart. It's probably best to learn to do both. I find writing "by-the-book" doesn't really serve the main purpose I write poetry for (therapy and processing of emotions), but writing it "by-the-book" can be fun and challenging, if I get the extra time to do that.

like everything else, we learn. i'm not too good at meter but i'm better after posting her for a while. we also have some instructional posts that explain many of meters in's and out's. (check the novice forums and elsewhere. not forgetting poetry practice, which lays down the metric law for a given form.)

Maybe it's better not to start out thinking about meter? But you do need to get a feeling for rhythm and the rhythm of the words as you put them together in the lines and stanzas. That's reflected mostly by deliberately choosing words with the right amount of syllables so the lines and stanza flows smoothly with cadence when you read it.

it's a good start. though if you're like me you'll come up against the meter wall that dictates certain syllable formations don't work while others will . rhythm is i think, one of the best methods with it you shouldn't go far wrong,