Everyone's a Critic

Got these comments back today on a poem that I wrote (Formica), which almost made it to publication but got the ax in the final round.

1 -- not enough bite for the poem. was a little bored waiting for it to
happen.
2 -- Really lovely. I love the triviality of tinkering around and then all
of a sudden, what the poem's really about comes out. Good impact. Images
are nice.
3 -- This poem attempts to build tension but fails to do so effectively.
The lyricality seems strained (reflecting / the speckled pallor/spread
underneath / our plates), and the end aims for cleverness but lacks punch --
largely because the rest of the poem falls short of the necessary build-up.

Oh, well. Back to the drawing board.