Poetry is the most compressed form of writing.  Poems tend to use fewer words to convey a thought, action or emotion than works of fiction does.  In poetry, every single word has a significant impact on the meaning of the poem.  Poems may follow specific rules of format and use poetic devices to help convey meaning, or they may be completely free form. 

Basic Definition

 Poetry is the most compressed form of literature.

Poetry is composed of carefully chosen words expressing great depth of meaning.

 Poetry uses specific devices such as connotation, sound, and rhythm to express the appropriate combination of meaning and emotion.

There are two basic types of poetry:  traditional - follows standard rules of grammar and syntax with a regular rhythm and rhyme scheme. modern - avoids rhyme and standard grammatical organization and seeks new ways of expression.

 

Regardless of whether it is traditional or modern poetry, the subject of a poem can be anything.  It could be about something as intense as child birth, or as mundane as waiting at a bus stop.  Since there are so many poems written about the important parts of life that affect all humans (marriage, death,  love, and the natural world), there are names for poems with these subjects.  Clearly, not all poems fit into these categories.

• epithalamium - a poem that celebrates a wedding
  
• elegy - a poem that remembers the dead
  
• pastoral - a poem describing the joys or sorrows of living close to nature and away from the city
  
• love - a poem filled with expressions of joy, despair, passion, romance, spirituality, religion or unrequited love.