Why do you want critique?

[CRNDLSM]

I thought the main reason people asked for critique in poetry was because they were going for publication.  Then after spending time here I feel like it's mostly people who are going to be graded in a class somewhere (seasonal boosts in membership).  And of course the random ones writing for a loved one or event just making sure it reads as they intended.

I used the critique forums mostly for clarity, like I don't exactly know what I wrote and can't see all the angles.  Most of what I write I don't really care about anymore, just having fun with words, if I use the critique forums nowadays it's mostly so other people have something to crit, in order to post their own stuff, but also if there's lag in posting.

It's like waiting to eat, but I fill up quickly.

[wasellajam]

I thought the main reason people asked for critique in poetry was because they were going for publication.  Then after spending time here I feel like it's mostly people who are going to be graded in a class somewhere (seasonal boosts in membership).  And of course the random ones writing for a loved one or event just making sure it reads as they intended.

I used the critique forums mostly for clarity, like I don't exactly know what I wrote and can't see all the angles.  Most of what I write I don't really care about anymore, just having fun with words, if I use the critique forums nowadays it's mostly so other people have something to crit, in order to post their own stuff, but also if there's lag in posting.

It's like waiting to eat, but I fill up quickly.

I post for critique for ammo to edit the poem. I might post having just written, I might have worked with it over a period of time. But when it's my own work I've often gotten used to reading and saying it to my own liking, always good to get another ear.

I also want to see if I'm getting my point across, if a metaphor is working, if there's a tweak I haven't noticed that would make a difference. It helps to hear what people like about the piece, what not to cut. 

I may stop working on something but without publishing it's never finished, always free to mess with it, come back with a fresh view.

But mostly I enjoy discussing it with other people, chewing on word choice, picking the brains of writers with more experience and education. Always something new to learn, it's fun.

[dukealien]

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.

Also, it's a kind of socializing, and I don't go to bars.

[busker]

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.

Also, it's a kind of socializing, and I don't go to bars.

Perfectly articulated.
Critique is indeed problem solving.

I would also say that to be a good critic, you need a lot of heart.
It is difficult to provide feedback on poems that bore you, and also difficult to comment on poems that sway you. Finding the patience to explain what you liked - and first of all, to really think about what it was that you liked or disliked - is not easy. Far more tempting to say “this sucks” or “this poem could only
have been written by a god”, out of laziness.

Which is one of the reasons I don’t post often in the critical fora. It’s asking a lot from a critic, and I go there only when I really, really want to workshop. The rest of the time it feels like an imposition. 

We’re too polite and considerate as a bunch, I say.