Critiques

A poem may receive substantial praise,

And soothe the poet with uplifting fans.

A poem may receive substantial pans,

And leave the poet in dismay for days.

The praisers stoke the keen poetic fire,

Some with good cheer, some merely to be kind

From being rather shy to speak their mind,

Aware they could the poet’s wrath inspire.

The panners tear the poems into pieces,

And crush the poets ’til they grow to seed.

Yet they mean well with such a ruthless deed,

Desiring simply to smooth out the creases.

For in the end, though pans seem out of spite,

They but advise and aid to better write.

-"EDP

Reviews

[Nigel Newman]

How true. How very true. As you may have experienced, I'm not without my 'even better if' suggestions. But I don't think I've ever panned - if I really don't rate something I move away and find something I think is worth reading. I always try to balance possible improvement suggestions with positive comments; otherwise why bother to make suggestions. I hate hate hate seeing bland positive feedback without specific reasons. Much as it may hurt, I'd far rather have someone make criticisms - so long as they were constructive and/or specific. And of course, the thing that no reviewer can sometimes know for sure, is what the writer was trying to say or what technique or style they were trying - in such cases the writer can feel justified in thinking "well I know that, but what I actually wanted to get feedback on is ...", and in such situations the reviewer is in real danger of being presumptuous and thinking their own interpretation of the piece is the right one, and feeding back from that perspective. I have slipped into this sometimes, and I'm trying to be more wary of it.

I think your poem sums up all of this very well. You have an interesting 1/4 and 2/3 rhyme structure. And although there is a clear structure and rhythm, it never feels like you've become a slave to rhyme or meter.

Nice work!
Nigel

[emipoemi]

I firmly stand by the maxim: "never rhyme for rhyme's sake", so you can guarantee that every poem of mine (unless subject to carelessness) would be written without enslaving Rhyme and Metre (or becoming a slave to them for that matter). So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading!

[Richard🖌]

Great message, Poet, every poetess and poet should read and heed with a healthy dose of humility and gratitude.
Skillfully rendered, with excellent rhyme, syntax, and imagery in an iambic beat, almost an English Sonnet, except for the abba rhyme scheme (shades of a Petrarchan).
Brings to mind my poem, "The REVIEW" http://www.writerscafe.org/writing/RichardJ/1586806/
If there were anything I could critique it would be to make your presentation a bit more appealing to the eye with larger font, color; perhaps, a picture or illustration to please and entertain.

Especially appreciated and enjoyed … thank you sincerely for sharing your excellent craft! ⁓ Richard : )

[emipoemi]

I'm not too technically savvy to be able to add illustrations and whatnot.....my illustrations are in the lines I write....readers merely need to use their imaginations. Now, I'm not sure how it looks on your end, but the font is relatively large on my end, so I'm not sure what's the issue there. But, still, thank you sooo much for reading! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and will definitely check out your poem.

[Richard🖌]

Well,
Let's say I'm a bit more "artsy" than most … LOL!

[emipoemi]

I can agree with you on that - lol!

[ayesha cullen]

I liked the rhyming style. And it gives out a significant message to the writers and also the critics. Good job.

[emipoemi]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.

[C. Lee Battaglia]

From being rather shy to speak their mind,
Aware they could the poet’s wrath inspire.
The panners tear the poems into pieces,
And crush the poets ’til they grow to seed."
Such creativity and wisdom this poem holds!
It made me realize how much Critique we need to grow and improve! You have a talent in writing and make the reader feel apart of your poems/stories.
You have a beautiful writing style!

Your friend,

C. Lee Battaglia

[emipoemi]

I'm glad you could learn and relate to my work! Thanks for reading! Much appreciated!

- now onward to you.....to return the favour ;)

[C. Lee Battaglia]

No problem! And it was a delightful read. :)

[Anise]

I really enjoyed this and the wisdom that it holds.
I think the timing of the approach is so important.
By timing I mean that a new writer should be encouraged and not critiqued in the same manner as a seasoned writer. Where the are in their journey should determine the way you critique.
You let certain things slide so as to not kill one's confidence. And then ease into feedback delicately.
I suppose that is the way of nurturing.... Personally though, I suck a commenting so can relate with being shy about it.

[emipoemi]

You are indeed correct with that fact that the level of critiques should be equivalent to the writer's experience in the field. I've had my fair share of faux-pas in the past, but luckily those writers took it well, and are now attempting to better their craft. I'm glad you enjoyed the poem. Thanks for reading.

[Anise]

It was my pleasure. :)

[B. Maaitah]

Loved the abba cddc effe rhyme sheme.. it's genius feels like a modern sonnet
dear you are as skilled as you are talented.

[emipoemi]

Thank yo so much!! Glad you enjoyed it!

[Travis Gibson (poetic h..]

The dynamic of giving and receiving criticism is a very delicate exchange... too often abused from either side. This was a well crafted display of both perspectives.

[emipoemi]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.

[Travis Gibson (poetic heroics)]

It was a pleasure.

[Norman 223]

I have one golden rule when reviewing. If I cannot understand a piece, I cannot justify making a comment,as any criticism is probably my lack of "understanding." of deeper meanings. By the same token I would only block a reviewer who was a deliberate troll. Corrections of typos etc indicate that , the reviewer has,at least, taken the trouble to read for which I should be grateful.
You poem shows a well balanced approach to to this perennial problem.

[emipoemi]

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading.

[Saumya]

WOW! This is such a sot on piece written on a very important subject, Emi! :) I applaud you for writing this.
As I've always said and believed, and I still repeat it here: 'There's a vast difference between 'Constructive' and 'Destructive' criticism, and ironically, it it mostly the ones who should know that difference are exactly the ones who are just so unaware of it!

As a reviewer, we all have the right to express and criticize a piece, but it is our duty to ensure, that its a 'constructive ' criticism, i.e it has to be criticized with and for solid reasons...or better it shouldn't be criticized . Also, a criticism has to be about the content, and not the person, and the topic that they write upon ...Nobody can like everything all the time, and its completely alright! and nobody should instruct others on what to write, and what not to.(WE all write and post our pieces here in the right & wise state of mind, which knows what shouldn't be posted :D)

Criticizing a person or their piece, or the subject they write on, is easy..but a person is intended to critique the other writers work here, and if that's exactly what they don't do, their reviews are worth being ignored, and if the same goes on and on..those people are good to be 'blocked' for this stupidity, because honestly, that's not this place is exactly for! :)

Thankyou for writing and sharing this piece, Happy Writing to you! :)

[emipoemi]

Funny enough, I actually wrote this piece as a statement when someone blocked me some years ago simply for giving a harmless critique. Harmless! They had every write no to take it, but they went on a raging tirade against me for it, and ended up blocking me......! So, yeah, you do you, and if someone comes along and tells you that the piece is bad, step back, and see from what standpoint is it coming from. Yes, most critics tear it apart just because....but there are those who tear it apart knowing that it has potential to be better. Thanks for reading! Glad you enjoyed it.

[Saumya]

Blocking is yet another 'Longer' topic to be discussed here, Emily :) But know this for now, that some people block others, for their own 'secret' reason, and peace ...and the worst part? You won't ever know why, since telling you about it before, too would be unacceptable for them :D (I've been through this as well, and maybe thats why and how I know this feeling exactly )

Sometimes it's all bout Enjoying the drama, giggling at the nuisance, but never minding the fools..there are always some weird people everywhere, and we can't always help it :)

Take care, happy writing, and you're welcome :)

(((HUGS)))

[A. Kim Spradling]

I quite like this. Writing, acting, and creating, are all subjective fields, and everyone has an opinion. What is good for one, is not quite right for the other. When you put yourself out here, you open yourself up for failure. Doing so is a brave deed. See, your poem inspires thought. That makes this a job well done.

[emipoemi]

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it....(and that it got you thinking lol)