Are you ever shocked by the reviews you receive?

NM...dood...Google EMOTICON fer Pete's sake! heh heh

JC, the write was cleverly comprehensive, to the point I would have to admit "All of the above"!

BG and Lizzy, loves o' mine, both, had sparklingly complementary answers, but Dallas struck what I believe the most salient point t'be: EXPECTATIONS! First, I believe the secret to happiness is as simple as LOWERED EXPECTATIONS! However, that is NOT my point. My expectations out here are as varied as my responders...and their respective viewpoints...which I must always remember are inherently worthy and, therefore, valid! For all the folks I know whose ongoing quest is to find unequivocal agreement...concurrence...validation through applause, though some of any of those is fine, too much would launch me on my own quest...for Dr. Kevorkian! BORING!

I must admit though that there are also those whom I have come to feel a kind of just-like-me kinship who could easily hurt me deeply with too harsh a criticism, since I DO expect some kind of baseline, ongoing validation through m'cadre o' kindred souls! Praise God, that's not let me down yet! Turns out they're not only very kindred, but, too, simply very kind! (C'mon now...y'all know who y'be!)

(((((( <3 ))))))

It depends on the critique/feedback/review.

There have been some that I found perplexing in a joyous way (I had a Pulitzer Prize winning poet say some wonderful things about my book, and it just astonished me that someone who knew so much about poetry and wrote so well would think such things about my work, I had a review written by an online literary journal that taught me things about my work I didn't even know, some of my poems were used as examples to teach metaphor at a university in Oklahoma, and another professor named a course she taught from a quote from one of my poems, etc; things like that blow my mind in a good way.)

There have been those that I found perplexing in a negative way, such as those times when I posted a poem to a website thinking it was just the best thing I had ever written only to have the poem go largely ignored by readers there, or when I have received rejection letters from magazines to which I just KNEW the poems I sent would be accepted.

Then there have been times when the feedback was simply perplexing in itself, such as when I read a poem at a poetry group, one I had written as a serious work, only to have the group take it as a humorous one (which embarrassed me at first, but, once I looked at the poem as they had, I was rather proud of it).

It all depends. I've found all of it valuable, though, even the indifference.

Everything teaches.

Expectations can be disappointing so I keep mine quite low,

I expect honesty, not just an OMG opinion

I'm in this family to learn and grow.

When a piece needs work, or I've misstepped anywhere

I hope to be told so by my peers

And don't mind at all, blunt but but real by those who care.

I most often write for me, hope others enjoy certainly

but to be told something positive in any correction

I want to express, and stand most free.

I get very sad when people resolve their questions so quickly

Having friends around the world....mine stay open until I hear from them

They never say the same thing twice, and I am always happy they answer

They Love to shock me, I take them very seriously too, the best writers matter

as much as people like me...everyone is equal here, in my eyes

I love the clever answers, even when they may be critical of my writing. I think you have to have a sense of humor, not take yourself too seriously to post a write on Yahoo Answers. Sometimes I am blown away when responders like my jottings. Nice poem, btw. Have a star!

Reviews are reviews. Enjoy them, laugh at them or rail back is my advice. Oh, you forgot a period at the end. Takes away from your whole poem. And what the hell is :) suppose to mean? Are you practicing hieroglyphics?

I usually don't expect the nice comments I receive,but I seem to have some good contacts.There comments are great and their suggestions are given in a polite manner and are note-worthy.

Gary.

What are you talking about? :S x