#and it's that precise day (17th of May) because a really important anthology of poems was published

[lumestari]

Reading this post and its reblogs is making me realise that actually, I know a fair amount about poetry.

So people are wondering what makes a poem. First off, you need to understand that there are three different genres of literature: narrative, lyrical and dramatic. These are characterised by their intentions: narrative lit intends to tell a story, lyrical wants to showcase feelings, and dramatic is made to be acted out in a stage. And thusly, their conventions and stylisations are born: theatre is written out that way to help with its purpose, and so is poetry.

You can have poems that aren't lyrical: narrative poems, also called odes, are one of these. Poems can also be theatrical, made for the stage (I don't know any English literature, but you can see theatrical poetry in Fuenteovejuna, a mid 17th century Spanish play about a village revolting against the lord that mistreats them, and is written entirely in verse).

So, therefore, if it wants to convey emotions, feelings or sensations as its first priority, it's a poem.

The most sure sign that someone doesn’t know much about poetry is when they insist that poetry has to rhyme.

And the most sure sign that someone is a little too pretentious about poetry is when they say that they hate rhyming poetry.