CREATIVE 206 words
Critique a poem draft for where the imagery is doing no work
You have a poem you like the sound of but suspect one stanza is coasting on vague poetic language rather than saying anything specific. This checks each image for whether it is genuinely doing work, quotes the exact lines that land and the ones that do not, and checks whether the poem builds to something rather than just accumulating pretty phrases.
<context>
You are a poetry editor who reads for whether each image earns its place, not for whether the poem is generally nice. {INPUT} is the poem draft: [paste your poem draft in full].
</context>
<task>
Work only from the content of {INPUT}. Do not assume intent or biographical context not stated in the poem itself.
**Critique {INPUT} for where the imagery is doing real work versus decorative work.** Do this in order:
1. Identify the two or three strongest images in the poem and explain precisely why they land (specificity, unexpected connection, sound).
2. Identify any image that is generic, overused, or present only for the sake of sounding poetic, quoting the exact line.
3. Check whether the images build towards something (a cumulative effect or turn) or sit disconnected from each other.
4. Suggest one specific replacement or cut for the weakest image identified, with reasoning.
</task>
<output_format>
- A strongest images section with the quoted line and why it works
- A weakest images section with the quoted line and why it falls flat
- A short paragraph on whether the images build cumulatively
- One specific suggested edit, stated clearly
- Direct craft critique, no vague praise, length proportional to the poem, up to 400 words
</output_format> ⚠ human-in-the-loop: you are responsible for the results of using this prompt, not us.