Or take the case of Harold Bloom. He likes David Shapiro's poetry because at the time he first encountered it he was still open to new aesthetic experiences. He wouldn't respond to the new David Shapiro of today with as much openness, I suspect. I think the clock stops for all of us at one point or another. I'm hoping it won't with me, but it is hard work NOT to let one's preferences harden with age. I force myself to listen to music I hate, for example.