No poem is so fine that some critic can't damn it if he has a mind to. Poetry, unlike light verse which plays safe and does all the laughing without getting laughed at, is defenseless, takes all the risks, goes out on a limb, sometimes very far out. The more a poem is a poem the closer it plays to the absurd, trusting the reader to tell the difference.
No poem is fine enough to be safe. A critic can always maul it or pooh-pooh it if he has a mind to. Poems have not learned jujitsu or karate. They go naked and trusting.
On the other hand, no poem is too wretched for some critic (if he has a mind to) to hail as a gem.
- Pot Shots at Poetry, "No Poem So Fine"
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