What IS a poem?

Question

I've read a book of Roald Dahl's poems and thought they were pretty good. But then I saw these poems in Yahoo! Answers that sound so deep and emotional that makes you think. I also read the advice people gave. So what IS a poem? Is it just a few stanzas with lines that rhyme? Or is it something else?

Answer 1

A formal definition:

A poem is a verbal composition for conveying experience, ideas, or emotion in a vivid and imaginative way, with language chosen for its sound and suggestive power, and by the use of literary techniques such as rhyme, meter, and rhetorical tropes (metaphor, simile, etc.).

My own informal idea:

Poetry is language which creates artistry and emotion in the audience. Try these examples. Are you not moved?

"Let us go then, you and I, when the evening is spread out against the sky"

"Did he smile his work to see, did he who made the lamb make thee?"

"But I could not bear my poor brother my body to die in Minneapolis"

"I desired my dust to be mingled with yours forever and forever and forever."

The poets and poems from which these are taken I leave to your discovery.

The question of what is a poem is a lifelong quest, and one which we must each answer with our own work.

Answer 2

There isn't enough space on this site to debate that question. And there isn't an answer to it anyway. Some people believe a poem must have lines, verses, rhymn etc. Some don't. Actually it's a subjective thing. A poem needs to feel/read like a poem to the reader. So some things which are poems for some people really don't work for others.

For me, a poem needs economy, every single word should count towards expressing the thought or feeling. Repetition should only be put in if it's required to emphasis the point. My particular beef it the unnatural twisting of language to fit it in the poem. If the words don't flow natural, the line doesn't work, write it again.

So in order to establish what is a poem for you, read a lot of things which profess to be poems and ask yourself, "does this work as a poem, for me." That doesn't necessarily mean you have to like it or think it's a good poem, just if you read it and say "yes that's a poem."

Good luck, and if you every find a definitive answer to this, publish it, you'll make a fortune.

Answer 3

A poem is crystallized emotion. It is the sparing use of words that evokes within the reader or listener an emotive state (a passion) that far surpasses the normal passive listening state. It rouses, it calms, it moves.

A poem stretches the boundaries of language. It uses sounds, rhythms, and blank spots between.

The best poetry is a universal that leaves space for the listener or reader to climb into it. Poetry is not how you feel; it is how you make your readers/listeners feel.

Answer 4

Poetry (from the Greek ποίησις, poiesis, "making" or "creating") is a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its ostensible meaning.

Poetry has a long history. Early attempts to define it, such as Aristotle's Poetics, focused on the uses of speech in rhetoric, drama, song and comedy.[1] Later attempts focused on features such as repetition and rhyme, and emphasised the aesthetics which distinguish poetry from prose.[2] From the mid-20th century, poetry has sometimes been more loosely defined as a fundamental creative act using language.[3]

Poetry often uses particular forms and conventions to expand the literal meaning of the words, or to invoke emotional or sensual responses. Devices such as assonance, alliteration and rhythm are sometimes used to achieve musical or incantatory effects. Poetry's use of ambiguity, symbolism, irony and other stylistic elements of poetic diction often leaves a poem open to multiple interpretations. Similarly, metaphor and simile create a resonance between otherwise disparate images—a layering of meanings, forming connections previously not perceived. Kindred forms of resonance may exist, between individual verses, in their patterns of rhyme or rhythm.

Some forms of poetry are specific to particular cultures and genres, responding to the characteristics of the language in which the poet writes. While readers accustomed to identifying poetry with Shakespeare, Dante and Goethe may think of poetry as being written in rhyming lines and regular meter, there are other traditions, such as those of Du Fu and Beowulf, which use other approaches to achieve rhythm and euphony. In today's globalized world, poets often borrow styles, techniques and forms from different cultures and languages.

You could get more information from the link below...

Answer 5

Poetry is the oracles of the mind. A self translation of signs and encrypted omens, is the only way for people to know themselves, or at least to glimpse who we are, where we come from and our destination. It is the only revelation of our own existence.

Answer 6

poem has a lot of meanings
it can express your thoughts and feelings
or it can stab someone in the back
but overall, it's basically a short paragraph of thoughts