What is Poetry?
Some definitions:
Poetry is language governed by the
rhythm of sound, while prose is language governed by the
rhythm of thought.
Poetry is "troped" language,
that is, language that has been deformed or twisted from
its "normal" forms through the use of
"figures" or "tropes," violation of
grammatical rules, etc.
Poetry is language with a high
percentage of "non-coded" (i.e. interpretable)
expressions (see the EC assignment on "non-coded
meanings).
Poetry is fervent, passionate,
inspired, irrational discourse.