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Why is poetry so hard to define?

How to define poetry. It's something so individual, that a universal definition proves to be hard. There is no way to cage up poetry, to tell all the writers and poets in this world, "This is poetry. This is how you will write it." No, poetry is a bird that longs to fly free, going all across the world for all to gaze upon and admire.

There's no exact equation to give you a poem; it requires thought. And we all know that every single human on this earth is so unique, that their thoughts are going to be different from the next persons.

Dictionaries often try to explain poetry, generally labeling it simply as "a deep aesthetic response." But it's not. Poetry takes so many different forms; there is no way to categorize it as one thing. When you think about it, it's amazing we can even label all the poems as "Poetry".

Take a look at E. E. Cummings for example. His poems are anything but deep, yet seem to attract a good audience. I've found myself often intrigued by his poems. I enjoy them, and they give me a bit of satisfaction, but not a deep aesthetic response.

On the other hand, Edgar Allen Poe writes deep and cold poems that inspire intense thought and emotion. How can both he and E. E. Cummings do the same kind of art?

In fact, how would you describe art in itself? Anything visually pleasing? Anything pleasing to the ears? Is poetry considered art? There simply is no one size fits all for these definitions. Each person must know their own definition of poetry and art, and they must accept there are other definitions as well.

A young child may consider a series of rhyming words poetry, while an infamous poet may not. And vice-versa. Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. A poem that attracts absolutely no emotion from you may be deep and engaging with the person next to you.

However, when you're having a conversation with someone and you accidently sputter two words that rhyme, why is it not considered poetry? If you write a gripping novel, it's not considered poetry either. So, is there an unspoken length limit to what is considered a poem? How can you possibly put restraints on poetry when it's the author's decision of how s/he crafts it? You can't. There simply is no way to stop poetry from happening, or making it happen in a certain way.

Sure, there are those poems with harsh syllable or rhyming conditions, but it is the poet's choice to use that format. Even so, he still has so much freedom and could go in any direction s/he want. A haiku has very


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Why is poetry so hard to define?

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