what is a poem

A poem is a piece of writing that uses imaginative words to share ideas, emotions, or a story with the reader. It is a type of literature that conveys a thought, describes a scene, or tells a story in a concentrated, lyrical arrangement of words. Poets choose words for their meaning and acoustics, arranging them to create a tempo known as the meter. Some poems incorporate rhyme schemes, with two or more lines that end in like-sounding words. However, contemporary poets often choose to exclude rhyme and rhythm from their verse, opting to write in free verse. A poem can tell stories, record memories, express desire, and share information. The best poems are those that tap into the universality of human experience and appeal to a wide variety of readers.