Sorry, Amos.

I have to disagree- the PRESENT state of "poetry" is due to the lack of "Rhyme, scansion and formal structures".


Words alone are like hammers- they are a good tool, but not up to all tasks.

Saws, drills, lathes, etc are sometimes needed to create something worthwhile...

Poetry is defined as "The art of apprehending and interpreting ideas by the faculty of imagination; the art of idealizing in thought and in expression. "

Which of the following is a better POEM?

1.
Sonnet

n.
A 14-line verse form usually having one of several conventional rhyme schemes.
A poem in this form.



2.

A sonnet is a frozen tear, a kiss,
Preserved in fourteen lines. It is a pearl
Of layered thought, a gem too bright to miss
When set on page: One blossom, to unfurl
To perfect flower. As amber, sealed soul
In timeless tomb, it can show time long past,
Or hold this instant in it's grasp. The whole
Of heart upon one single page, to last
Beyond even our dreams, it seems a sip,
Distilled to essence. Refined within mind,
Lines sing sweet song, and rhymes in patterns slip,
To weave image that leaves mere vision blind.
A single chord, to resound in one's heart:
Echo of past that might our future start.