How to Comment on a Poem

Commenting on poetry may seem a little intimidating at first.  You might say "who am I to judge this work?"

That's a good instinct!  It should be a good bulwark against leaving a comment that might be perceived as negative but don't let it get in the way of leaving a little encouragement or praise.

Here are some examples of stereotypical poetry comments.  Feel free to use these as a template until you get your feet under you!

Types of Comments

There are a number of poetry comment types.  We dare to classify them here:

Wow man, just wow!

When you're flabbergasted by the sheer magnificence of a poem, this is what you'll probably leave.  It's unambiguous, clear, and usually concise.  This is a double thumbs up, and the writer of the work it's added to probably feels pretty good when they see it.

It really Flows, man!

Browsing around, you'll soon learn the language of the Dark Poetry commentator.  Words like "flow" are tossed about, and other words like it are pretty common too.  This usually means they nodded their head a bit.  In technical terms, the poems having this sort of remark probably have excellent meter.

The Detail Comment

Often, you may find the poem as a whole so-so, but it has one golden detail that you can grab onto and praise.  When you're the recipient of this sort of comment, you might want to go back and revise, but be sure to save the golden nugget in your revisions!

The Insightful Comment

These comments are the most valuable to the author.  They talk about the work as a whole, and how it impacted them both on both animal and aesthetic levels.  Often these will inspire a friendly discussion, as when the author connects with the reader in this way it's hard not to reach out and get to know your commentor.

Now that you're well armed, go forth and prosper, leaving hundreds of comments behind you.