... which do you prefer ?
“would you rather have critical comments or no comments ?”
i was asked this recently in a comment on my poetry. it’s a very insightful question that i was glad to be asked. making a comment on poetry can be difficult. poetry is very personal, so it's not like a "normal" blog in which you can offer actual input. yet, if something you read touches you in any way, it’s a compliment to it’s author and they deserve to know about it.
there is the consideration that not all poetry is designed to arouse happiness or warmth, in fact some of the best poems i have read on here are the ones that made me feel confronted in some way. even though that may have been the authors' intention, it is still easier to walk away that to risk saying so and perhaps causing offence.
i mean, you really cannot read an angry poem and say “that made me feel ill” in your comment and expect to sound like you enjoyed the experience, can you ?.
neither can you comment on a sensual piece by saying “well, THAT got the old blood pumping, nudge-nudge, wink wink”.
so, what to do ?
i try and look at it this way: when i write a poem, i do actually want to know what others think - it's a real joy to have somebody "get" me that way. although, as i often ignore grammatical and punctuation rules, that would technically make a “critique” of my work a litany of “this was wrong” and “you changed tenses”, etc, which probably would sound offensive as a comment.
so, i'd say that i myself would rather have "critical" comments provided they take the form of relevance to the work somehow, and not a "your grammar is wrong" type of thing. as far as poetry is concerned, i think most of the bloggers on ju would prefer ANY comment than none at all. it really is very encouraging to have people comment on your more creative stuff. in a lot of cases, ju is the only feedback available, which makes it doubly valuable.
comments don't have to be a full dissection (but those of course are so welcome), even a quick "this made me think" or a shared experience you can relate it to (good or bad) is great. i have recently seen several wonderful poets express doubt at the appeal of their work/s due to few or no comments, and i think a little bit of support would go a long way.
i’d hate to see the “art” section of ju wither and die whilst still in it’s infancy ... (insert pathetic pleading tone ... here) ... so, please support your local ju starving poets ... just no saying you think it’s awful when aweful will do just as nicely 
note: i'd like to thank sarah (aka bigdreamer) for asking me this question. judging by this blog, it was something i felt very passionate about without even realising !. kudos to you, sarah, for your insight. mig XXX.