What system do you use when judging poems?

I noticed that my fiction poems
"Through The Barrel Of A Gun pt 1: The Moreheads, and
Through The Barrel Of A Gun pt 2: Carol Morehead"
are being rated according to the theme. It's violent, so it's being voted down. While in the past, my love poems would be voted "up"
It's all good regardless of how they are being rated, this is just an observation.

Can we please keep in mind though that there are more elements on which one can rate/judge an artwork.

Style
Rhythm
Structure
Theme
Flow
Technique

...am I forgetting any?

The question is:
What system do you use when judging poems?

Personally, I look for Flow, Style, Rhythm and Structure...and over all the qulity of the poem, not the length.

That is just me, there are many different ways to judge a peice of art such as Poetry.

Peace, Joe

I don't have any particular 'formula' for judging poems.

My tastes are very aesthetically based, and thus very subjective. I just like poems that look good to me.

An obvious spelling/grammatical error, or lack of 'depth' are instant turn-offs, but I basically just look for those poems that contain those certain powerful hooks, key words and lines that leap off the page (or screen) at you. Originality is key.

Rhyming is an easy way to get this attention, but it's not the only way. And while I don't mind rhymes, I tend to nit pick trite ones.

Yeah, the poems need to flow smoothly, but I also love it when a poem captures my heart. I do look for grammer and spelling and the such, but I really care about what the person put in when writing it. If you can feel how the person who wrote it was feeling, it's a good poem and well written.

tha way i can feel it's emotion , or wheter it really comes from the heart , if a poem is great in other ways to, so much better, but first i want to "feel " it

I agree with NuovoVesuvio on the originality.\
Very important to me.
I found that writing from another persons perspective brings original stuff out of me.

I try to look for:

1. fluidity [sp?]
2. spelling and grammar
3. originality
4. and if I read many from the same author, I look for originality within the different poems. Like, for example, the poems aren't about the same things everytime. [i.e. if all the poems are about death, then it get's annoying after a while]

personaly I look for originality. If there are like 5 or 6 poems that say the same thing then they're not unique...yes they can mean something totally different but if they keep on repeating it's just not what I'm looking for.
secondly, i look for how long or short it is...if it's really long I can tell that they took their time writing it and if it's really short then I can tell that it took them not too long just maybe about 15-20 minutes total. if it's really short then i say that yeah they were rushing and that they wanted to get how they felt out but didnt have a lot of time to put discriptions about their feelings in and that they were busy...
lastly, I see if they are all about the same thing (in like catagory) if they are all about like love or death its not something new...sure there are ppl that are commiting suicide everyday and jotting down things about themselves on paper so if someone finds it they will understand their reasons but i think that everything should come from the heart and mind not from what other ppl write.
and just try and put some creativity into it...darken it up or brighten it up, make it fancy and descriptive...that's what i like to see!! : ]
if there's anybody that disagrees with me you can send me an e-mail.

What, What? Spelling and grammar are not important??? You have got to be joking. If these essential elements and "basic" elements to the English language are not essential, then what is?

I receive application letters and CV's from people who apply for jobs all the time, if they do not bother to have correct grammar or spelling in either their letter or CV, then the letter just goes into the bin!

A poem being long does not necessarily mean it is of any real quality or of any real substance. Some poems written by famous authors which were very meaningful and of substance were very short in length. Quantity does not equate quality!

An example, a poem by William Blake:

The Little Lost Boy:

'Father! father! where are you going?
O do not walk so fast.
Speak, father, speak to your little boy,
Or else I shall be lost.'

The night was dark, no father was there;
The child was wet with dew;
The mire was deep, and the child did weep,
And away the vapour flew.

Sluvious, you have to understand that you've had more time to study these things than her. You are 99 years old, she is 13. : /

I agree sondos is really good. I mean I don't know how her new poem didn't make a place in that one contest on here. I get jealous by people who are younger then me who can write but that just makes me want to make mine as best as I can. I was terrible at 13. I'll admit it.

I judge poems by the concept. If the message was clear. Spelling, grammar, and if the words are in depth.

im 13. and yeah i may type stuff that's not proper grammar or anything but when i write things down and go to turn them in to a teacher i make sure i have the right grammar and spelling. sorry i was just stating my opinion and evidentally no body wants to hear it when yet the subject is "What system do you use when judging poems?"

and I deffinately agree with the person who posted above this one.

I don't come on here to right, I come on here to read, so I was looking at the little arguement between Sluvious and Perfect Scars and decided to read both of your stuff and this is what I think. Sluvious, yes, all your spelling and grammer is correct but most of your poems are poorly rated whilst while Perfect Scars poems arn't exactly perfect with spelling and grammer they are mostly highly rated plus the contence is more meaningful. Just my opinion :)

It depends on if you know alot of people. Some people don't want to hurt their friend's feelings so they will bend the truth when reading the poems or just put, "I can relate" Hello if you can relate can you please say how. I would rather a meaningful comment then, "That's good. I love it." But to tell the turth I think alot of people are lazy or just want good comments on their own in return.

I'll still base the poem on just about everything.

fair enuf i was jus stickin up 4 u !

i jUDGE BASED ON WHAT I GET FROM IT EMOITONALLY. IT HAS TO MAKE ME FEEL SOEMHTING.

wut about use of language? like instead of using words lik "happy" try "delighted" or "joyfull".. i donno, i also judge poems by that :)

i like effort....

Whatever happens to catch my attention about that certain poem, flow, style, meaning, just whatever that poem has to go by!

**meggie**

I listen to the rythym of the poem. If i expresses true heart felt emotion. That is what I base my ratings on. You can't just slap a few rhyming words together and call is a peice of art. You have to feel it, flow with it. It has to move you. Like a river moves the stones.