Above Average

Food tastes bland without any condiment or topping,

No ketchup or mustard or even pickles in that burger,

Will make a burger just be a "burger".

Nothing less.

Songs without rhythm are just plain out bad,

No beat to make you want to get up and go on dancing.

Will make a shout and stomp just be a "shout and stomp".

Nothing more.

A novel is not interesting if it doesn't have a plot.

No story? Nothing to say other than "I remember that book" after finishing it.

Nothing at all.

Add something special to those things though,

That burger will be much more than just a "burger".

That song will make people do more than just a plain "shout and stomp".

That novel will have more than people just saying "I remember that book".

This is what poetry is.

Not something less than a satisfying taste of a well-made burger,

Not something more that will get a group of people to shout and stomp and create a riot.

Nothing at all is better than what poetry can and does to its audience.

The something special needed to intrigue everyone's attention.