How should I review a poem I find confusing and inaccessible?

You have to have knowledge of poetry to understand poetry? Well, I get that you have to understand the language and stuff, but really, the best poems have an emotion to them. Even if you don't understand the words when you try to pick them apart for the specific meaning, the poem should still leave a lingering impression in your mind of what the writer was trying to say. You don't have to understand on a literary level, just an emotional one.

 

sorry, but i don't get the 'chocolate box' analogy... is that a kiwi thing, or what?

 

I thought that chocolate box was pretty international, perhaps not. It refers to the type of art you used to get on the top of chocolate boxes- pleasant and sentimental but bland, and doesn't stir the emotions - in terms of illustrative art, Thomas Kincade type of stuff.

 

i don't think i've come across that kind of chocolate box... at least as far as i can recall... and i'm 73, have been all over the world, so i doubt it's as ubiquitous as you thought...

i just googled it and learned that cadbury's uses famous artists' works on their boxes... but i don't think i've ever seen any...

 

I was referring to the term rather than actual chocolate boxes when I said I thought it was international, poor wording on my part. As for that type of art on actual chocolate boxes I definitely remember that kind of box here in the UK in the 80s, and I still see it sometimes in airports and gift shops. But yes I was talking about the phrase, and I am surprised to learn it isn't a commonly known one- every day is a schoolday!

 

If you don't understand a poem, clearly state that you do not g'et what you mean, and maybe you should rephrase your poem to clear the meaning.

There's a rule for poem

"I speak, and you see me"

Good poems should be like that. But should not make any effort on your part to understand it and meaning. If it is not the case, specify what you don't understand.
D.

 

If you find a poem a bit too obtuse, maybe you should try to say something about what you think is going on. If you are completely off (according to the author, that is) this can be very valuable for the author because it helps them see what they need to edit in order not to convey alternative meanings.