Not a complete list:
A fancy word where a plain, powerful word would do
"Breathy" lines instead of lines informed by stress and letter sounds
Where the poem tells me what to think about the poem, i.e. where the idea of the poem is spelled out in abstract terms in the poem itself so that there's no mystery about what the poem is trying (or not trying) to say
Cliche wrapped in preciousness, any preciousness at all, in fact (often associated with breathiness)
Disingenuous ideas. Try this experiment: next time you read a poem, stop at each distinct thought, and ask yourself: does anyone really think that way? You will be amazed.
In fact, a lot of poems I read stand on either cliche wrapped in preciousness (take away the fancy language and what is really being said is nothing but the obvious) or disingenuous (truly unbelievable that anyone would seriously think that)
I am sure that I am guilty of all these things at one time or another. All the more reason to make a list.
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