2.1 Definition of poetry
Poetry has a fictional quality for it does not keep strictly to fact; it is imaginative and draws on the poet's experience. Its initial impact appeals directly like music to the readers' senses and imagination. Having done that, it then engages the intellect.
As a literary form, poetry is distinct and concise and is a deliberate act of communication through which the poet transmits how s/he feels about an experience, a happening or a situation. Its singular features of economy of form and a concentration of meaning enclosed in as few words as possible, capture the essence of a poetic message and give poetry its impact, distinguishing it from prose which has its own forms and functions.
An interplay of elements produces a poem. The first element is verse; that is, poetry is written in lines that are indented from the margin and not always of equal length. Language and the effect created with sound and sound patterns, namely, rhyme, rhythm and metre contribute to the poem as a whole. All these features relay the subject, theme and feelings. Out of this interplay flows a particular setting which is either expressed or suggested subtly. Most importantly, the choice the poet makes of speaking directly or through another or others, controls the message and feelings.
Finally, the poet can draw on one of many traditional forms for the shape of his/her work or simply choose to put it into free verse. One must never forget that what is expressed in a poem and the way it is expressed is not accidental. Poetry is a carefully constructed literary form in which every word and its placement are deliberate. The poet wants to convey as accurately and as cogently as possible what he/she is feeling.