dismal level of critiques

I agree with you Mr Harrison ( I hope its Mister)

I'd be happy to give you some honest critique you can hopefully work with

Haha I completely agree with Jharrison! I had this huge emotional break down a few weeks ago and I wrote a few poems about it and this is the actual comment I got on one:

Wow that showed so much meaning it's so sad I feel for u! Very touching poem I really think u did and exellent job. Could u read My Blessing and Meaning for me I would appreciate it! Thanx and Take Care!

Got this one twice

~ nice write, casey. good job
~ take care, 5! always believe in love

I don't mean to be rude, but maybe the reason you've not recieved any impressive praise, is because the people who read your poems don't think them particularly impressive...or more likely the poems are original enough to warrant a totally individual comment.

Plus the fact 95% of the commnets EVERYONE gets are pure back slapping "i'll comment on you if you do me" types.

i guess i'm lucky...i get good comments, but then i give them as well.

I get good comments and I give good comments, there will always be people who give mediocre ones though.

So do Rembrandts, right Don? ;)

I had mentioned to Jharrison how I felt about this. I think for me it's a little bit different. I have just recently started posting my poems. I wrote a few when I was younger and those were some of the ones I first posted. I just started writing poetry as an adult. I have been reading it for years and always enjoyed it. I thought I would give it a try and see what I could do.

When I am at work I have to act and talk professional. My work has to be done with perfection. I spent years of my life studying to have a career. The reason I decided to try poetry was to let out feelings and relax at night after my son goes to bed. I feel that when I leave my job I want to be myself. I don't talk the same outside of work as I would in the letters and dictations I write. I came on here to post and get feedback from the comments. I didn't want to go get books and search the net to study the techniques of writing poetry. I didn't want it to feel like it had to be done to perfection like everything my job requires. I wanted to learn through reading others poems and advice from people who are willing to help. I find it to be more relaxing that way.

When you leave work you want to feel you are able to relax if you don't then anxiety and stress will eat you alive. Getting to my point I am guilty of giving the comments with no advice. The reason is because I don't feel like I am anywhere close to being ready to give others advice. I still have a lot to learn myself. I could read everyones poems for hours if I had the time. I ask others to read my poems for one reason to help me grow. I have such a long way to go yet. If I read a poem and I think that person has talent I will leave a comment on what I thought about the poem and might ask that they read mine. I respect their advice as a talented poet. I have had some real good advice from people that has really helped me. Things as simple as just the lay-out of the poems. The flow the rhymes ect. I don't change the poem once I post it I leave it and when writing my next one I take that advice to heart and try my best to use it. It all comes down to the type of poetry you like and the style as well. Jharrison I like his work because he has such a unique style.

I appreciate all the help I have been given so far. The voting I really don't care much about. If you have a poem and it gets on the top most recent poems well there goes that poem on ratings. So to me it is all about the comments. I have tried to write something from each category and found that I seem to be better with the poems about nature. I would have never thought that. I was never that big of a fan of nature poems. I think it comes to me easier because I can imagine it in my mind. When I write about my past experiences I find it brings emotions of saddness, anger, ect. and I find my thoughts all over the place. It's not relaxing and it's hard to write when your thoughts become so scattered. I think I have wrote enough I just want to thank everyone that has given me helpful advice and I hope that I will grow with each new poem that I write.

'I get good comments and I give good comments, there will always be people who give mediocre ones though'

No that is fact :o)
Kaitlin as per usual is right

Your assumptions will be your downfall - never assume - it makes an ASS of of U and ME :o)

I didn't read this WHOLE post but I agree J. I NORMALLY leave a reason as to why I liked it (I don't comment or vote on poems that I don't particulary like) I don't return comments to people who leave this on a poem of mine, "hey cool poem check mine out." They only commented to get some in return and to me if that's how it works then this site is useless. I don't critique poems and try to tell people what's wrong with it, that's not my job and I don't have the knowledge to do so. I just think people should say WHY they liked it or WHAT they didn't like about the poems.