zodiac9 Dec 2005

He should.

The fact of the matter is that a good deep-hidden-meaning poem (like, say, an Eliot) is going to be impressive on a superficial level to start with. I appreciate trying to write a poem that's simple-sounding on a quick read but has great stuff hidden. That's what Shakespeare, for one, is so good at. But if wilco's unimpressed on a superficial read, I don't think it matters what deeper subtext you've got.

And in short: as a general rule, don't assume people aren't getting your subtle meanings just because they don't like your poem. I hate when people do that.