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Poetry was originally a performance art. In the days when most people were illiterate and pen and paper were hard to come by, professional poets memorized and recited long poems to the delight of their audiences. The art of poetry was closely related to the arts of music and drama.

Poetry was defined as a performance piece that had meter (repetitive rhythm) or rhyme because these features enabled poets to memorize their lines more easily. The earliest poems were long, epic tales about legendary heroes, and occasionally there were satires or philosophical discourses. Only rarely did the poet sing of his private emotions.

In today's literate, technological society, where poems are read silently more often than they are heard aloud, the old definition of poetry no longer applies. Popular "poetry slams" in urban coffeehouses feature rhythmic spoken word performances that closely resemble rap music, but most people read poetry in magazines. The only thing people seem to be able to agree upon is that poems must be written vertically on the page!

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