what is poetry?

[rimbaud]

"a form of expression."

"articulate verses."

"an art."

these are some of associations students came up with when asked about what poetry is. from here we can see the essences of poetry through the chosen keywords of "expression", "verses", and "art".

in a more technical term; poetry or in ancient Greek known as "poieo" meaning "I create" is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. It consists largely of oral or literary works in which language is used in a manner that is felt by its user and audience to differ from ordinary prose. (poetry.org)

from the above cited definition it is known that poetry utilizes language for an expressive and aesthetic purposes that's meant to be felt, and it was created firstly through oral before it was transferred into a more articulate written language. among the first poetry form to exist was Anglo-Saxon's "Beowulf", which were sung and hymm'd throughout the ages before the English language was further developed.

combining rhythmic verses and stories, poetry was first utilized as a medium  to upholds tales and myth before poets take further liberty in using poetry form as a more personal voice. soon, more and more voice concerning various aspects of life such as love, nature, family, death, society starting to fill out the genres of poetry; expanding it to larger purposes rather than just a personal solace.
such liberties and creativity can be seen through the work of epics such as Odyssey, Othello, as well as satires like Canterbury Tales.

in modern times, poetry has developed far than just expressive measure. it is now more utilized as a voice of criticism, concerns, and oftentimes laden with satires and sharp connotations. such works can be seen from writers like Mark Twain, and Kurt Vonnegut.

in short, poetry has went beyond the mere word of "expression"; its purposes covers all intends such as art, solace, fight and struggle.