Definitions of Poetry

And so it has begun. Poetry, the unit that I have been least looking forward to in this class. I do not find appreciation in poems, and I only like poems that rhyme (for now). I was looking forward to reading Wuthering Heights in the class, but I guess we need to save the best things for last. Looking through the vast list of definitions of poetry in class yesterday, I thought I would reflect on some that resonated in me.
The definition that resonated within me the most yesterday and thus the one that I wrote about in the warm up was #12, where it describes poetry as " a kind of ingenious nonsense". Noticing that it came from the great scientist Sir Issac Newton, I could have not agreed more with the physics genius. To me, poems are a jumble of random words that might rhyme from place to place, and might tell a story or portray a scenery  It also seems like it describes the same thing in 20 different ways. Even elementary school kids can write poems that rhyme, and that is why I agree the most with Newton's definition of a poem.
Another definition that I liked alot is #32, where it describes poetry as anything that calls itself a poem. Poems have many formats, such as haiku and free verses and rhyming poems. This definition struck me since it allowed me to realize that a piece of literature can be classified as poems for the majority of times. I have once read a book about 200 pages that the book itself was one large poem. I have also seen poems that the layout of the words illustrated the object that is describing. Recalling these examples, #32 struck me as true and a good generalized way to describe poetry.
After looking through the list one more time, a definition that stood out to me was #47 where it describes poetry as an "orphan of silence [and] the words never quite equal the experience behind them". This quote struck me as significant, since for some poems, the poet writes about his or her experience in a couple of lines. Compressing all the thoughts, observations, and senses during the experience into a couple of lines do require skill, and however good the poet is, there are still going to be information left out. Definition #47 has allowed me to realize how experienced skilled poets are, being able to describe their experience in a couple of lines.
I still hate poetry, and I am not looking forward to this unit. However, I do hope that this unit will allow me to encounter poems that I will be able to enjoy and assist me in discovering the beautiful aspects of poetry.