I liked reading other peoples poetry and not the published stuff. Plenty of stuff on here that should be published and never will be.
Yeah, there's something about the stuff that's posted in Words. I think partly because most of the posters are young, and writing about stuff I can relate to. And partly because most of the posters are drug users / ex-drug users, which arguably gives them a slightly different perspective on the world. There's a sense of a common cause, of people trying to write their way out of the madness that we all eat for breakfast.
And as far as publication goes, I think with a little hard graft and research, many of the pieces posted on here could be published. There are websites, magazines and journals out there that publish edgy stuff, stuff by young writers, stuff that you wouldn't expect to be taught under the name of 'poetry' in high school.
Writers can always improve their work... I'm sure even Shakespeare wasn't happy with some of his lines. Writing is always a process; a poem or a story is always a work in progress. Publication isn't necessarily the end point, and it isn't necessarily the goal. But it's an avenue worth exploring as a writer, and getting published will no doubt boost your confidence, and make your effort seem worthwhile. It's not the be all and end all, but it IS achievable if you're prepared to swallow your pride, do a lot of reading, and not give in until your writing is as fearless as possible.
I believe that when we write without fear, we can produce writing that is completely unexpected, while at the same time it will be as much a part of us as we can make it.
