Well, it's not bad. Not great, though. Some of the metaphors are pretty clumsy, and I find that the construction of the lesbian manifesto poem, as an example, is kind of unwieldy. There's some interesting imagery, but ultimately, I think the poems fail for the same reason that most "message" poems fail - too much emphasis on the meaning behind the poem, and not enough emphasis on the craft and the construction.

I definitively agree that a lot of the poems are "not bad" but "not great". However, I have a personal reason for publishing them-- because if I only published what I considered to be my "great poems" and only tried to write "great poems" I would never produce anything. Trying to be great is stifling. I also remember what my poetry professor told me about the great poets-- most of their writing is not that great as well, and that they become famous for only a few poems. The rest is not so good. So I take comfort in that.

Another reason I published them is because there is a need for this kind of affirmation. Conservative readers need the experience of knowing that they are not alone.

I think that some of the poems are not going to be improved by considerations for craft. Some poems are just not gems to begin with-- they're okay, but nothing to get excited about.

However, I consider my poems successful (not necessarily good) if they reach out, give a reader a good experience and make him pause for thought. Even if a poem is a piece of Hallmark sentimentality, I consider such a poem a successful poem.

Thank you so kindly for your feedback.