Amateur poets

The world of poetry, which is quite alien to me, is apparently split down the middle. A few days ago, a poet Rebecca Watts, wrote an article in a poetry journal excoriating young female instagram poets and the attention lavished on them by publishers. The article opened with the combative words 'Why do we not consider poetry an art form?'. It goes on to rue the dumbing down of poetry and the rise of the cult of personality in it--personalities whose sole meritorious quality is their "honesty". But, where is the art in vomiting out your feelings, free of reflection, imagination and nuance expressed in verse that stirs something in the reader? She quotes some lines from the instagram poets she scorches and they are pretty awful. The review is worth reading in full and quotes some lines about how amateur poetry can be therapeutic. I quite agree. I wrote reams and reams of angst-ridden verse as part of my therapy, which I would never dream of showing anyone else. Watts also stresses the need to focus on a poet's output rather than on the poet's personality. I agree with this as well because reading poetry is such a hit-and-miss experience. Some poems blow you away and others by the same author do nothing for you. For a long time, I thought I would never be able to appreciate other people's poetry because it is so personal and nuanced. Too personal and nuanced for another person to comprehend. I don't think so anymore but the point remains that reading poetry is a highly subjective experience. So, is reading prose but the difference is there will always be authors most of whose work one likes. One might have favourite stories or articles but one is unlikely to be indifferent to their other work. The same can't be said for poetry, in my humble and raw opinion.

P.S.: I googled Rebecca Watts to see how good a poet she is and came across this poem,which I found stunning.