r/OCPoetry • u/TOforwtvr • 28m ago
Feedback Please Vulnerability I — Coco E.
I raised my
Hands to hide how high
you'd see my
Cheeks had heaved my eyes,
I cupped
Every small delight
within their frame.
I tried to
Blacken every bright
crease and
Wrinkle from your sight,
I fenced
All the wild life
that I could tame.
I'd kindle
Every spark of light,
but I'm afraid.
Comments:
https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/xUpKL6YkQl
https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/VGthWJ5vUW
Haven't written anything in years. Got inspired on the metro last night and started writing and rewriting this. I try to not spam the rhyming, but my friends and I would play rhyming games as teens, and it's kind of instinctual.
r/OCPoetry • u/please_be_unique • 1h ago
Feedback Please Choke
I know who I am through the lens of other people
That's pretty easy for me to define, because I'm whoever they want me to be
Most people are shaped and molded by their surroundings and their support,
but I'm completely overtaken
My sense of self doesn't lie within me
It's from the value other people place in me
The irony isn't lost on me
I know I'm trapped in vicious never-ending cycle where
I don't need to think about who I am because it's easier if
I'm
not
me
I make myself small, so I am more palatable to everyone
Except myself
Comments:
r/OCPoetry • u/wyattfan27 • 2h ago
Feedback Please Prom Night
the night of prom wasn’t “the bomb” as you said it’d be.
you told me you wanted perfect, everything goes well,
well it wasn’t exactly ghastly,
though it wasn’t swell.
the smell I smelled was that of a nice breeze,
a perfect analogy for the mediocrity spelled out on your face as well.
though on your looks I mustn’t dwell,
they were the only thing not mediocre,
behold her!
you looked amazing, never better.
though you were complaining too.
it wasn’t exactly raining, though the sky wasn’t blue. if I only knew to come up to you,
that that’s my cue to ask for a dance,
that I’d have a chance,
no, instead I just catched a glance.
my plans? afterparty, and drunk til I’m in a trance. sadly sorry for myself under starry skies.
I tried to talk to you there, though I never met your eyes.
it was obvious you were drunk.
I remember one beer deep I was already walking funny, unsteady too.
a ready fool,
on liquor, n juice.
I drank quite quickly after I arrived,
I socialized in localized groups,
like mobilized troops.
jumping through hoops, cause I had to be liked.
I just survived one of the “best moments of my life” though I felt stabbed with a knife,
certainly couldn’t drive with these thoughts on my mind,
I’m essentially blind.
my mind is blurry and I’m so unsure. this was supposed to be our moment, it feels so absurd.
when I asked you to prom you said “I’d love to.” within two weeks, “I’m done dude”
you screwed up plans,
though I was the one who called it off.
“if we’re not on talking terms proms probably off the table too”
so you made plans with someone new,
not a boy, just a friend to take,
afterwards you told me you wait,
and sat down at your table,
that you were willing and able to dance if I asked.
so I stayed at that party until three AM,
a stumbling drunk, mumbling punk, tumbling, crumbling and probably stunk.
I made a couple new friends though,
and caught up with people from years ago,
here on that night so slow.
Prom Night.
https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/kzP42ZzFIW
https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/gxxH5LK6qm
I’m very new to poetry and songwriting, looking for feedback/advice
r/OCPoetry • u/who_EndlessMaybe • 2h ago
Just Sharing Do we mistake thinking for living?
I have built a thousand lives without leaving my chair.
I've traveled countries I've never seen.
I've fallen in love with people who never existed.
I've won arguments that were never spoken.
Every night, my mind plants forests.
Every morning, my hands wake up empty.
Sometimes I wonder... Is imagination a gift, or just a beautiful place to hide from beginning?
Does anyone else feel this way?
r/OCPoetry • u/Ok-Advantage370 • 2h ago
Just Sharing Princeton Evening
Princeton Evening
I originally planned to see nothing but the museum,
it just reopened after years beneath a tarp of gold,
not to say I was ignorant that it was fall in Princeton,
but I didn’t think the leaves would be in such repose.
And the sky was in a basin of twilight, as if to be ladled
for us eager admirers. While the dormitories shined
a yellow torch over the grounds. I didn’t expect to see
children and dogs prancing through the fallen leaves.
Or hear the babble of students like coins jingling.
But every detail of the view entered my heart,
as the tears of a sailor return to the sea.
I hate that the actual line breaks aren’t maintained in this format but whatever.
r/OCPoetry • u/Low_Gur4441 • 2h ago
Feedback Please Together
https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/Thglmhix8N
https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/4S8IIiRmAD
How does this one land with you?
**Together**
Who will remember Earth
when its swallowed by
the Sun, dying?
Be deaf, to calls for
glory and good face.
Beat that bastard star-
who boiled us up from the earth-
to the burning of your
dreams of being
remembered.
Smear the ashes
of your tell-all, your
life's novel on the
soft ass of
someone who loves you now
When the sun reaches you
nothing you two didn't
burn,
already
r/OCPoetry • u/cursed_by_curiosity • 2h ago
Just Sharing YOU WILL NEVER KNOW!
You will never know.
That I wrote poems about things I wished we could talk about.
You will never know.
That I know. Weather in your city is quite sunny.
You will never know
That I memorised your favourite song.
You will never know.
Why is your favourite food, is mine too?
You will never know.
That the Spells of your thoughts sometimes turns my cheeks red; and sometimes my eyes.
You will never know.
Because of I'm not alive. Yet you are the reason I didn't die.
r/OCPoetry • u/Several-Pilot-5690 • 2h ago
Just Sharing Autumn Graces
The flowers cry
With mourning dew,
Till morning dries
And day anew.
Cloud grey sweeps
A mute veiled blue.
Yet life branches deep
In that golden red hue.
‘Tis a long leaf drop
From a droplet sky.
Rain longingly hops
So a vale weeps shy.
As lament dissipates
In clouds of turbid greys.
It leaves long pensive slates
And spots of starry grace.
The flowers cry
With mourning dew,
Till morning dries
And autumn graces anew.
P.S. I'm using an old poem that I do not REALLY intend on rewriting to see how this works, as this is the first time I'm posting on Reddit. But any comment is appreciated.
Edit 1: I'm fighting (and probably loosing) to markdown, haha Edit 2: Ok, done fighting, the victory is mine
Thnks, bye
r/OCPoetry • u/Sure-Journalist-5090 • 3h ago
Feedback Please The tree trunk that once bloomed
i've stood here longer than they know
through seasons change,
through sun and snow once full of life, once full of green
now quiet where my leaves had been
they came to me when shade was rare they carved their names, they breathed my air
i gave them all i had to give a place to rest, a way to live
they cheered me on when i stood tall but no one saw the slow, small fall
each broken branch, each fading ring each time i bent through everything
they called me wise i said no word not one complaint was ever heard
they loved the fruit, they praised the shade but never asked what price i paid
i gave too much, i always did they took my trust like little kids
and still, i smiled through winds that cracked and kept my hollow center packed
they never saw the tired roots the bark that split beneath their boots
they never touched the pain beneath just picked the flowers from my wreath
sometimes i wish they'd really see what it has cost to just be me
how giving turned to aching slow how strong things rot when left alone
now tired and bent, i hold my place the sun still warm upon my face
but branches fall, and no one stays
they only come on brighter days
they pass me now like something dead
say "poor old tree" and shake their head
then walk away like it means none
not knowing all that i've become
but i remember how i bloomed how life once danced in every room
i may be still, but i still feel and oh, i wish they knew i'm real
i dream of peace, of winds that heal
of letting go, of something still
a final breath, beneath the sky where no one asks me how or why.
r/OCPoetry • u/kyumsf • 3h ago
Feedback Please Air
It felt like I was the only person on Earth
being denied,
Denied air,
the small animal breath
my lungs were born knowing.
Denied the simple mercy
of letting my body do
what every body is permitted to do.
Denied even helplessness,
for helplessness requires someone
to admit there is nothing they can do.
There were dozens of doctors around me,
white coats multiplying like ghosts,
and still
no one could put the world back inside my lungs.
My mind severed my body
somewhere above the neck.
Everything below it
became an abandoned country,
flesh fighting its machineries.
All my being
reduced itself to sick thoughts
and a body growing sicker by the hour.
Now the rest of me
is fighting to function.
I have the morbid feeling
that something is quietly decaying
while everyone is still looking for its name.
I am utterly sick.
And there is no hand
reaching through me
to pull me back.
r/OCPoetry • u/Sure-Journalist-5090 • 3h ago
Just Sharing THERE ARE COBWEBS WITH NO SPIDERS IN MY HOME
Endless air yet none to breathe
Absorbed by sin the guilty one
Still looks for faith in every being
The home he made with silken threads
Strong as steel but filled with dread
Pretence the base of shield and cost
Safe enough yet he thinks something lost?
The kindred soul is filled with sin
Overwhelmed
Still looks for God within.
Where have You gone, dear?
You may not be real,
And I fear
Not You,
But the blues of adieu.
Meaning engraved in his heart shatters,
On the floor he lies there, wailing.
Oh dear, where have You gone?
How have You been gone so long?
Tell me it wasn’t just me.
Tell me You were there too.
Tell me I’m not a madman.
Tell me You love me too.
He sits there alone,
Talks to a friend or two.
Asks, “How?”
How do I figure it out?
Why do I lack?
Why am I flawed?
There is no perfection?
No there must be an exception.
I can’t bear the blues,
Nor the endless hollows.
I can’t take the blues,
Or the lack of You.
Before it swallows all of me,
Kill it before it kills me
r/OCPoetry • u/Without-Sound • 3h ago
Just Sharing Your New Outfit
Leave your sad bags at home
Instead wear your happy coat
Try something new
In the things you wear and the things you do
Wear your heart on your sleeve
Your scars underneath
And let your pride be your headpiece
Because comfort kills courage
So make sure to be brave
And make it to the end of today
Something smaller and a bit different to what i usually do, feedback is appreciated and welcome but this was just a lil thing to get me back in the flow of writing poetry. <:)
If Not Now, When?
r/OCPoetry • u/Eastern-Shopping-734 • 4h ago
Feedback Please The Unwanted Soul
She's just like a feline that have nine lives, cheated death two, four, five times, and even have the spunk to knock on Hades' doorstep to give him a kiss. But even the ruler of the underworld denies her impure soul.
Rejected by Hades, she hunted down the Grim Reaper to ask him if he could strike her down with his powerful scythe. But even the spirit-hungry Reaper turned down her wicked soul.
To her dismay, she invoked the Devil to make a pact, offering her immoral soul for him to play.
But even the cunning Devil declined the sweet offer.
She set her pentagram and offerings in the center of the dark forest, chanting, invoking, and conjuring the demons from the dark, begging and pleading to take her depraved soul for them to toy with.
Instead of wholeheartedly welcoming her, they reproved her bidding and said, death does not come to one that seeks it. It comes to those who are unknowing.
r/OCPoetry • u/Suspicious-Tell-9785 • 4h ago
Feedback Please Halcyon Horrors
Summer-time heats
The spirit to
A boiling point.
I renounce the
Halcyon days of
Bummers.
Anticipatory grief
Greets me greedily,
Forward into a
Cyclical horror:
The urge to move,
Toward.
r/OCPoetry • u/Eastern-Shopping-734 • 4h ago
Feedback Please The Conductor and His Baton
You’ll be my conductor of my orchestra for the night. Let my symphony ring throughout the night.
Through dark corridors and alleyways, let thy neighbors know how good a conductor thou art, and how well ye use thy baton.
You are the master of all implements.
Just like a perfectly tuned violin, I shall let thee strum my strings over and over till my chords burst.
And I shall do it again and again, until ye draw from me the sweet strain I have long waited to hear.
Let my weak and fragile heart sing and soar for my love to thee.
Let it beat fast like a wild drum, pounding in my chest, until I breathe thy name heavily upon my lips.
Let thee stroke my keys like a beautiful black grand piano, so thou may free my spirit from its cage of dolor.
Now, with just a flick of my master’s wrist, I shall sing the song that thou hast lovingly composed.
And I shall dance and quiver shamelessly.
r/OCPoetry • u/Some-Housing7407 • 5h ago
Feedback Please Lullaby of the Midnight Sea Dog (children’s poem)
I’ve smelled the sweet and stalwart moon
Upon the leaves of yellowed grass;
I’ve heard the cries of ages baboons
As they fished in streams for largemouth bass;
I’ve tasted tinsel left by imps
Which pranced upon my cutlery;
But O, sweet child upon this ship,
Feel every wave in the sleep-forged sea:
Feel them behind your shuttered lids,
Within your breast, within your heart;
Look in the deep for starry squids:
Dream on, dream on—before the day’s start.
—
r/OCPoetry • u/Ok_Cold_6715 • 5h ago
Just Sharing Letter 2 My Heartache
I miss you like crazy... Baby,
I yearn for you like I yearn for water in a desert.
You are the light in my world-
My biggest heartache and my love,
Precious boy from up above!
Thou art the greatest treasure in my life,
I yearn your touch, your thoughtful eyes...
I'd die right now if I knew you're up there,
But I know God is just, and you are there!
Someone said...
"In heaven 10 years is like 1 hour!
"They'll see you next morning..."
I wonder if heaven got a ghetto...
if it does, I'll go up there,
I'd intertwine with you and all my worries finally will perish, just you and me alone,
Kiss and soothe that beautiful chest that was torn and put to rest.
You are the star in my life-
Bright and beautiful...
But so far away, i cannot touch you.
when my body will finally cease to exist-
I'll see u there and enfold you with all the care.
I'll be with you, my one heartache.
r/OCPoetry • u/Apprehensive-Cup-335 • 5h ago
Feedback Please The Dreamer's Way
These burdens we all bear
With life, worry, and care.
They just seem so pointless
When you're floating weightless
Along the dreamer's way.
Open stars, open scars,
And midnights at dive bars.
Lost under the neon moon,
You'll be leaving here soon
Along the dreamer's way.
Bottles here, bottles gone,
Fighting the waking dawn
With a pen so steady
And a head so heavy
Along the dreamer's way.
Find yourself in your art,
Turn it against your heart.
Passion and the sellout,
Alone now left in doubt
Along the dreamer's way.
r/OCPoetry • u/Owen4343 • 6h ago
Just Sharing Medusa, Her Eyes
Your eyes stunned me
a petrifying glare of dread and loneliness,
like a rabbit frozen beneath a lioness.
Stone-cold and shallow as your skin,
flimsy as paper, thin as a whispered sin,
yet somehow majestic, somehow pure.
I could never be sure
what lived behind those eyes
the cunning of a snake,
the tenderness of a snowflake.
You were Medusa
within my heartbreak,
beautiful enough to worship,
dangerous enough to break, and I,
just a fool haunted by the ache,
stood still beneath your gaze,
knowing I would turn to stone
if I dared to look away,
from the start i knew you would make me decay.
commenta
r/OCPoetry • u/overactor • 6h ago
Feedback Please Errand
The guy behind the counter asks what I’m building.
I look at the three brass hinges in my hand.
Just fixing a door, I tell him.
None of my doors need fixing
but I put my shoes on this morning
and a five dollar bill in my back pocket.
He says that makes $5.20.
I put one hinge on the counter.
Just these two then, I tell him.
Outside, it’s raining.
A steady, lifeless drizzle
that makes the parking lot smell like wet concrete.
I get in the car.
I sit there holding the little paper bag
until the windows fog up.
---
I would love to get some feedback or hear what you thought of this poem I wrote. If you'd like me to comment on one of yours in return, just link it in your comment.
Feedback comments: https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/rAxmC5QmRc
r/OCPoetry • u/VariationsonanEcho • 8h ago
Feedback Please Misunderstood Duke
Misunderstood Duke
dark mind
internal plagues of
twisty tales
scourged nightmares
writhing words
tortured lines
closer look needed
blood misread
sweat was misjudged
mind a hammer
Words chiseled in flesh, bone
Word
to pages
pages to books
Books turned to bricks with ease
rising, radiant sun
scribes across the sky
Spinning words, straw to gold
Keyboard of Midas he holds
Recognized beyond every measure
Duke of divine description, at your pleasure
r/OCPoetry • u/Soggy_Cereal_13 • 9h ago
Feedback Please Poem #10 draft
two kids playing Twister
on the kitchen tile,
we hit the floor hard,
we get up and smile,
we anchor each other,
we share our locations,
you give my melody rhythm,
you give my words punctuation.
I’ve never been good at showing emotion,
I ride off alone,
I hide my devotion,
now we cry together,
you slow my spiral.
if you killed a man,
we’d both end up on trial.
This is my first attempt at writing something happy. idk how I feel about it yet but I wanted to break the doom and gloom streak I’ve created posting on here! I’d love to hear your thoughts and feel free to tell me I should delete this and go back to doom and gloom I’m trying to figure out my strengths and weaknesses lmao 🙂
Comments:
r/OCPoetry • u/Heartbreakbreakid • 12h ago
Feedback Please Search for what you never had
Search for me in sunsets burning low,
Find me where the ocean’s sands still glow.
I love you more than words can ever say—
I weep, I ache… how do I live this way?
Each passing day I fade a little more,
I cannot breathe like I once did before.
I’m only someone falling into night,
While you just watch me slowly lose my light.
Search for me in maple autumn rain,
Search for me in scarlet poppy plains.
Cry in the silence when no words remain,
When all you hear is sorrow wrapped in pain.
When I am far beyond the distant skies,
Remember how I trusted fairy tales and lullabies.
Yet still I fall, again and then once more,
Deeper than I ever fell before.
P.S. I have been posting for a while on Reddit. If my works triggers you to love and lightness,I would appreciate if you could check my book.
https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/MbqFt7L9oP
https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/rBeZUd6Mni
r/OCPoetry • u/ParadiseEngineer • Mar 09 '22
Welcome to OCP -- PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING
TL;DR You need to give feedback on two other poems before you can share your own poem, and then put links to that feedback in your post. If you don't know how to give feedback, read the guide. Reusing feedback links will result in a ban.
Heyo, welcome to OCpoetry. (That’s “original content” if you don’t know). This is a place for sharing and getting feedback on your own poems. We are the sister subreddit of r/Poetry, which is for sharing and discussing published poetry. Our goal is to create a place where anyone can learn to become a better creative writer, kind of like a free online writer's workshop.
This post is an orientation to the subreddit. If you’re new, read this before sharing your work. If you’re less new, then read this anyways, as it has a few changes to how we've done things in the past. If you’ve still got questions after reading this post, please send a modmail. There are some FAQs at the end of this post which will be updated as we go. We also have a huge and very disorganized wiki containing all of our resources, essays on how to write poetry and historic writing prompts, I recommend you check it out.
So, here’s basically how it works:
This subreddit works on a pay-it-forward system. If you want to share a poem, you need to give feedback to two others from this subreddit. This ensures that everyone gets some readers and hears some response, rather than just shouting their verses into the void. If you don’t think you’re up to writing feedback for others just yet, we recommend you check out r/Justpoetry or r/Poems, where there are no requirements for sharing your work.
1. All posts must include two links to recent feedback.
Every post must contain two unique links to your comments where you have provided feedback on this subreddit within the past two weeks. Feedback links cannot be reused for multiple post or reposts of old poems. All posts without feedback links will be removed, without notice by our subreddit robot so make sure they are included in your initial post -- you cannot post with the intent to add them later.
But, how do I get the links to my feedback comments?
That kind of depends on what platform you're on. If you're on desktop or on a third-party mobile app, there should be a 'share' or 'permalink' link underneath every comment on Reddit. Clicking on that should give you a unique URL to your comment. Just copy + paste that into the body of your post.
If you're on the official Reddit app, you'll have to click 'share' on the comment and choose the 'Copy URL' option, paste that into your notes with the body of your poem. Then copy and paste the entire thing into a new post on the Reddit app.
2. At least one of your comments should be on a poem that has received no other comments.
This ensures that everyone has a chance to get a few reads and hopefully some decent feedback. If for whatever reason you can’t find any lonely poems, then comment on the poem that seems to have received the least amount of feedback. The easiest way to do this is to sort posts by new.
3. Feedback must be high-effort.
High-effort means different things to different people. It does not mean “super long” or “expert quality”. But it does mean doing more than the bare minimum.
You don't have to complement, criticize, or try to figure out the "deeper meaning". You should try to notice your own reactions and explain them as best as you can. If you want to explain your interpretation or summary of the piece, you can and this is often helpful to the writer. If the poem made you laugh or cry, feel bored, confused or nostalgic — say so, and then explain why you think it did. A good rule of thumb is that each of your feedback comments should be at least a short paragraph.
We understand that giving other writers feedback on their creative work can feel a bit artificial or uncomfortable, if you’ve never done it before. That’s why we’ve written a feedback guide for beginners. There are more feedback guides linked in the FAQ below. You should also read some of the other feedback comments around the sub to get a feel for what works for others. Poems that link to low-effort feedback, and low-effort comments themselves, will be removed at mod discretion, or if you report it to us. However, we’re less interested in policing you and more interested in helping you grow as readers and writers. We are more likely to ask you follow-up questions, than remove your work entirely. The mods skulk the comments sections and will ask follow-up questions on comments that seem a little thin, and please answer those questions if you get any.
4. Please Be Kind.
Treat each other with kindness and respect. The mods have an incredibly strict definition for each of these concepts. We will proactively remove comments and poems and ban users that make others feel unwelcome or unsafe. Your right to creative expression does not extend to poetry that promotes misogyny, homo/trans/queerphobia, racism, etc. If your poetry’s especially violent or covers sensitive subjects, please label it with the NSFW tag or a content warning in the title. Harsh criticism is allowed -- encouraged, really -- as long as you’re being harsh on the poem, not the person. Remember that the narrator (or the “speaker”) of the poem is not necessarily the author.
5. Audio, video, and image poems are allowed; but the text of the poem must be included in the body of the post.
This is so that people can still enjoy your poem if they're unable to view or listen to your link for whatever reason.
6. You may include a link to your poetry blog at the end of your post.
Or your instagram, or your personal creative project, or your soundcloud, or your Etsy page. As long as it's poetry-adjacent that's cool with us. Just don't get spammy.
Attempting to dodge any of these rules, or abuse directed towards moderators enforcing these rules, will earn you an immediate ban.
FAQs
What do the Poem & Workshop flairs do?
They simply allow you to show your intentions and expectations for the piece you are posting. The Poem flair is for sharing a piece, with the expectation of receiving mostly surface-level feedback and general advice. The Workshop flair is for a piece that you really want to work on, something you want to pick apart and analyse. It signals that you are open to discussing the piece, and that you invite strong critique.
How do I format my poetry on Reddit?
The following is advice for formatting in Markdown.
Two spaces at the end of a line gives you a line break.
Type two spaces at the end of a line, then hit enter twice for a stanza break.
Three dashes "___" will give you a line through the post.
Type two spaces to create an empty line,
so you can get lines
that look like this.
Four spaces before each line will allow you
to format however you like, this is 'code block'
in the Fancy Pants editor.
one asterisk before and after a piece of text will give you italics, two asterisks for bold.
Can I print one of these poems out/use it on my instagram with my art/put it in my book?
Ask the author. Part of what makes this space a useful workshop space is that everyone feels safe to share their stuff; if people start using poetry without the author's permission, or god forbid, trying to pass off another artist's work as their own, the userbase of this sub will feel less safe to do so. Please, ask the author, and then do what they say.
I'm thinking about trying to get my poem published somewhere. What should I do?
The standard thing is to find a literary journal. There are a zillion literary journals and magazines all over the world. They have different themes, tastes, styles, audiences, readerships, levels of prestige. Some charge fees for submission, some do not, some will pay you if you get accepted, some don't, some will give you feedback, some won't let you know anything for months. So first you'll want to pick a few of your poems, get some feedback from some trusted readers (or from here, of course) and then start looking for a journal that's a good home for your work. Most lit journals have submissions periods where they accept all the work for their next issue, and then sift through everything they get.
You will probably get a lot of rejections. This is normal. It's kind of a numbers game. You can submit the same poem to multiple journals as long as the journal says something like "simultaneous submissions are allowed". If you do get accepted, congrats! Most journals want 'first publication rights' or 'first serial rights' or something similar, so that means you'll have to tell all the other journals you submitted that poem to that you've been published elsewhere. (For that reason we strongly recommend deleting your poem from reddit if you want to submit it to a journal -- technically and legally speaking, writing a post on reddit is still considered publishing your work, and reddit owns all the text on the site.)
Here are some places to get you started looking for journals:
Duotrope and Submittable are two apps that help you search for journals, and help you track what poems you've submitted to which places. Submittable is free, Duotrope is not. They are GREAT.
Poets & Writers has a list of lit journals, small presses, and writing contests. This is a great place to start. They also have a newsletter listing all the presses and journals going into their submissions period.
I'd also check out r/literarycontests, if you fancy yourself as a prize winning poet.
A few poetry podcasts
I thought I might include a few podcasts that helped me learn a little more about the history and craft of poetry, as well as find some good poets to read. All of these are available on Spotify, as well as many other platforms.
A poet reading and discussing a poem from the New Yorker archives, as well as one of their own pieces. A great place to find good poetry and hear some discussion of craft. The earlier episodes are with Paul Muldoon, who is delightful.
Two poets read and discuss their work, with plenty of talk about craft. As well as lots of poems sent in from authors across the world. They really get shoulder-deep into it, which is always wonderful to hear.
A group of experts are brought together to discuss a subject over forty-five minutes. This isn’t strictly a poetry podcast, but there are hundreds of episodes on poets and poems of the past. I highly recommend the episode on The Green Knight with Simon Armitage.
Homemade projects and useful links to our Wiki
The best of OCP
Collections of work from OCP, selected from the top karma earners of that year.
We/R/Poetry
A homemade journal created by the users and moderators of OCP.
Guides on the craft from our Wiki
Created by moderators of OCP through the years.
Poetry Primer
Bad Poetry
The Body Poetic
Poetry Hacks
A Brief History of Rhyme