What makes a poem good?

You know Laurie, you have asked the question that begs to be answered yet you already answered it yourself. It is hard  to say what is good, why it is good or why others like and you(and or I) do not. I have learned in writing class this semester to be able to do a constuctive critique of work or styles that don't particularly appeal to me personally.

For instance, one of the guys wrote an extremely political poem that didn't necessarily get to me BUT I saw some fantastic imagery and wonderful use of style in his poem. We had to write a sestina and did a simply awesome job with it.

Keep reading though, you learn so much that way. You learn even more when you look for ways for others to improve their work...it seems to give one a more outlook when proofing their own work. I have learned more from workshop and reading than I ever did from writing itself.