[Roger Slater]

And, in turn, I believe you as fervently as I believe in the divine.

I think I understand your thinking perfectly. I just think it's the silly thinking of someone who is a largely uneducated beginner in a field he is entering for the wrong reasons. Tell us who you are, show us some of your work, and if you can last ten minutes here maybe then you can worry about lasting a few centuries later on.

[N. Matheson]

I have plenty of poems to share, I just am poor at giving critique, so I can't share them!

[Christine P'legion]

Originally Posted by N. Matheson

I have plenty of poems to share, I just am poor at giving critique, so I can't share them!

Like writing poetry, writing critiques is also a skill that may be practiced. This checklist from John Drury may be useful to you: https://homepages.uc.edu/~druryjp/Ch...20a%20Poem.htm

Obviously it isn't necessary to hit every note in there when critiquing -- and you'll see around here that crits can vary widely in terms of length, scope, and general focus. But a reference like this can help you think through your approach to a poem.

[Roger Slater]

Giving critiques is easy. Just try to explain exactly why the poem isn't as good as Shakespeare.

Seriously, though. I presume you lend a critical eye to your own first drafts and try to determine what works and what doesn't. Just apply that same critical eye to other people's poems.