What is poetry?©

My late wife Joanne was a gifted poet although she never felt comfortable writing rhyming poetry. She was giving a reading once and when she was finished a huge man jumped to his feet and roared at her. What makes that a poem Joanne was only 5' 2 but she looked at the man for a moment and then said in a voice that could slice through steel "Because I say it is"

She would have loved your poem

Thanks John. I wrote this because someone at gather, posted an article criticising most of the poetry we post at gather.

I had to defend it. How can we say that structured verses is poetry and others or not? Most modern poets are known for their free verse. I feel structured poetry is manufactured. Free verse is letting loose our thoughts and minds.

All I ask, how can anyone decide what is poetry?

I couldn't agree more

Poetry is not about form
It is about meaning
Substance can be delineated
in steps, leaps, pure flight
When the structure is understood
to be merely the picture's frame
we become free
to enter into the writer's
expressed being.

Gautami, thank you for this. The poets on Gather take the hardest, unkindest hit of all. Poetry is very difficult to define, but it certainly includes more than rhyme and structure; I write free verse, more poetically incorrect, I suppose, but still valid.

Thanks for sharing this and I agree with you.

I agree that prose poetry gets a bum rap from those that seem to think that everything needs to rhyme. There are different types of poetry to meet the needs of everyone. If you have ever been to a poetry slam you will know what I mean.

There's good poetry and bad poetry.

I think we all define what those two things are for ourselves, but there's a line, definately.

When I see people who have the attitude that their writing cannot improve because it's their own point of view and "Who are you to criticize?" I just ignore them mostly. Their work is usually very mundane and cliche and it's not worth my time to even try to give concrit.

But the good stuff is good, regardless of form. All forms of poetry are valid, but not all poems in any of those forms or not-forms are good.

Therein lies the difference.

Very good defense of poetry, Gautami. Poetry like beauty is indefinable and can have myriad natural forms, not necessarily restricted by rhymes, rhythms and meters. I would even say that poetry need not be confined to mere words alone.

You remind me of a flaming sword east of Eden. The Earth spins toward the East. The sword may very well be one edge love and one edge kindness as you well know. Love between humanity and the creator who uses us for bait in the war in heaven and humankindness goes a long way. Are you related to Mahattma Ghandi? All of my life, the gentlest and kindest persons as a group have been persons I have met of Indian Heritage. Love YOU!!!

Poetry is like the pantry.

What's for diner?
Only words.

Only words?
Like the spice from the pantry

or who's got the key to the pantry.

Only words,

Like ham gravy, or maybe a white sauce, maybe some peas,

or some hard boiled eggs, maybe some fried onions.

That's what poetry is

Only words.

Thank you, Gautami. The humblest of lines is important to someone.

To write; or not to write? - LOL

Whether to suffer the slings and arrows of critics venom for expression's demanding sake?

To reveal pain and weakness; to show strength and joy; to unfurl the human range of love. hate and experience to the ears, eyes and minds of our human brethren, at risk the barbed barker's retort?

For the thrill that comes, and the relief of the after, to dance with the muse? Aye!

To Write, is to Live.

Did I rhyme?

Kudos, Gautami

excellent good points and poem

Gautami - well said!

Writing poetry is like making perfume from flowers
It's distillation
and for some
inhalation
and exhalation.
Painting with words
we synthesize our perceptions
to color the world
with our own words.

Thank you for this. I love your poem and the way it speaks to all of us who love to write our poetry, whatever kind that may be.

THANK you in defense of poetry! POETS ROCK and nobody can stop us! POINTS? LOL!!!!! I think the author wanted to score some points by writing such an obnoxious article. So.....

I definitely will not view it, comment on it, OR rate it!

well said

lovely hon, and well said

Thanks folks!

I know there is good poetry and bad poetry. But to say that poetry is rhyme, rhythm and metre is not what I personally think. I see most agreeing with me here.

I had to defend the poets in us...... We love to write. Thats what is important. We improve as we get along. If we stop writing just because someone things it's not poetry, how do we improve?

Great rejoinders from libramoon, Richard J., Bill's spirit and Jan H. Shows our love for words, no matter how we express those...

OH....JUST SHUT UP AND WRITE.......or at least that is what my mentor always told me......

Poetry that only clings to one definition is a dead thing. Much like language and other endangered species: if it does not evolve, it will die.

beautifull!!!

I agree with you Gaudami.

THis is very tricky subject, Gautami! A poem expressing about what is poem is a
different matter and when you really talk about real poem that is also different matter. One has to consider poem as an art form and so it needs some kind of treatment intuitively as well as creatively! It is said generally that who ever expresses all are poets! means all humans are poets!

Verse-free or prose poem are now old terms, because it is accepted that poems could be written with a languege which is poetic! Now what kind of languege is poetic? creative languege is poetic. Then what about narrative languege written to express a very good short story or novel or very good dilogue of a drama? all those have no creativity? If yes then are those writings poems? poetry? No.....

It means that poem needs different treatment then a short story or a novel or a drama! This diferent treatment if you are providing while writing poem then your creative piece becomes poem! In this term this kind of discussion should go ahead so that we all could become more aware about what kind of creativity we have in real! I think that root zone of poetic languege should be identify and then .... yes we have so many good poems here !

Well, after hours i come here with a thought that let me put something about experimental poetry considering the discussion is going on! But here no one has commented after my comment!

As a poet i can say that each poem is an experiment! Some time poet has to wait for days spending on experiments to get good poetic results! Some time poem just becomes a flowering fragrance in few moments! It is also wellknown that who wants to create new has to know the tradition completely absorb it and then go for new creation! So without doing that one can not go for very good experimental poetry! yes, it is possible to get few good glimpses but thourough ness of creativity will not be there, rather slip away like a wet soap!

Understanding we are all kinds of poets can help us live together and learn from one another. Some are 'rhymers' whilst others cant give a hoot if it rhymes or not. Some prefer the cryptic style while others are painfully open. There are different stages and different apllications - there is not a single one that can be said to be superior to the other. Disagree with you though that structured verses are manufactured - it just shows a readiness to pay attention to form that could uplift content.

awsome i love it!! read some of mine

I surely agree with libramoon that "When the structure is understood/
to be merely the picture's frame/ we become free," because although I often write free verse, I love to experiment with other forms. Sometimes those seemingly rigid structures are the stage on which we present our thoughts--and it can be strangely freeing to work within the framework if we understand that. Thanks for writing, and for your thoughts. There are all types of art and expression--defining poetry is like luring the wind into a jar.

That was wonderful!!!!

very good! and easy to read, the kind of poem which you can't read fast enough, thanks!!

here's one of my favorite quotes:

"If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry.

If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry."

~ Emily Dickinson

Free prose is my favorite, though I do toss out rhymes and meters occasionally.

I was brought up in the sonnets craze.