As an editor for my school's literary magazine, I get exposed to writing of every caliber and I'm still surprised by the amount of awful poems I have to read each week when it comes time to critique (tear apart). Every new batch of works is a not-so-cleverly wrapped pair of sweatpants on christmas morning and I'm a six year old who has worked exceptionally hard to be good that year. One would think that by now I would have an impenetrable shell, shielding me from the effects of deplorable poems and that I could just slay them with the almighty red pen of justice and move on. But I haven't. It's genuinely bad for the soul to read a rotten poem and I need a doctor.
I'd have to say the most common offense is the belief that the first draft is the right one. Many of these poems reek of infancy and with that comes a monsoon of other issues. These include but are not limited to: a mystery fetish, clunky and awkward rhymes, and a sickening affection for nature similes.
They never seem to have a good ending either.
