What is poetry?

“What is poetry? Do not inquire.
The secret dies by prying. How
does the heart beat? I fainted when
I saw it on the screen, opening and
closing like a flower . . . poetry is like
this, it is life moving, terrible,
vivid. Look the other way when
you write, or you might faint.”
—Elizabeth Smart

I have been rendered speechless by the power, beauty, and depth of certain poems. Poetry connects me simultaneously to my soul and my humanity like few other experiences do. There is someone out there who has expressed my feelings perfectly. I am not alone.