Is the first line interesting and immediate? Is the poem confused or obscure in some places?

Does the poem contain unnecessary words, phrases, details? Are the line breaks used effectively? Is the poem in the most effective order? Are there unwarranted connotations in the images or phrases that might throw the reader off track? 7. Is the poem so overloaded with abstractions that the reader has to supply his or her own stock responses, and the poem has no life of its own? 8. Does the poem contain cliches that don't work in a new way? 9. Does it 'show' through crisp, fresh images? 10. Can you hear the music of the poem, or is it flat and lacking in musicality so that it seems like prose broken into lines? 11. Is its language striking and fresh, or drab and routine? 12. Are the verbs charged, or do forms of the verb 'to be' predominate? Is the passive voice used too much? 13. Does the poem truly say something in a new way, or do you (the writer) simply imagine that it does?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.