Here's why:
* Form: Poetry is highly focused on form. This includes things like:
* Meter: The rhythm and pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.
* Rhyme scheme: The pattern of rhyming words.
* Stanza structure: The arrangement of lines into groups.
* Visual elements: The way lines are presented on the page, including line breaks and white space.
* Theme: While poetry can address any theme imaginable, the form takes precedence. A poem's theme is often revealed through the way the words are arranged and the imagery they evoke, rather than being explicitly stated.
Examples of different poetic forms:
* Sonnet: A 14-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme and meter.
* Haiku: A three-line poem with a strict syllable count (5-7-5).
* Free verse: Poetry that doesn't follow traditional rules of meter, rhyme, or structure.
While other genres like song lyrics or prose may incorporate elements of form, poetry is fundamentally defined by its emphasis on the form and structure of the language itself.