The Critics

One was a critic who read the poem
Smiled and threw the page away.
Another folded the page
And put it in his pocket-
You know- the one that sits over the heart.
Another picked up a pen
Crossed out some words
And added her own
Ever the teacher
With the ready lines
'Needs improvement'
'Can do better'
'See me after class'.
The poet wept most
For the third kind
His spirit crushed
His voice stymied
His message distorted
His experience wasted.