What makes a poem good?

Gee Laurie, why not open a can of worms? First, because it is art, there is no definitive and final answer. To a large extent it's taste and times - that is, "experts" can differ; and the era determines judgement. The Red Wheelbarrow would have been judged as pure amateurism in 1800. A poem written in the romantic style today would be judged a cliche. Some editorial boards would instantly judge my "The Mystic" as circlular-file fodder because of the partial rhyme scheme; others because it contains the word "soul" (even though the speaker is supposedly a mystic). Lawrence Durrell considered Hemingway a poor writer (mostly correct), while other experts were gushing over Hemingway. And Dylan Thomas' "A Letter to my Aunt" names several contemporary poets widely praised in his time (but not by Thomas) who today are unknowns.

The best thing I can say is that one needs to read a lot of poetry from a lot of authors with different styles. Ask yourself which ones you think will stand the test of time - be considered (by a reader with your familiarity with poetry) a half-century or more down the line as something inspiring. It's not much of an answer, but it may be the best we get. Let's see what others say.

Alcuin