What is poetry?

I remember elementary school

When they told me the rules

"A poem has to rhyme

And it's all about the syllables."

I remember in seventh grade

When my thoughts would fade.

It's got to be long,

and you've got to be original.

Well high school came around

And there my creativity was found.

My teacher told me poetry was expression

about the pain, about the love,

about all the above.

Why did it take so long, to explain it all?

By then I was gone,

I was worried about who might judge me

with the lyrics to my song.

It took a few great poets: Dickinson and Poe

to open up my heart to the show.

I learned a lot of about poetry

About the complexity of your creativity.

No one is simple, and no one is free

until they open up their hearts to the great big sea

The sea of vulnerability, emotions, passion, openmindedness

You haven't expressed yourself until you're begging on your knees.

Poetry freed me

Poetry made me feel secure

Poetry allowed other people to understand me

Poetry can be whatever I want it to be.

If I could go back in time

I'd say I dont wan't your stupid rhymes.

I don't want to write poetry in a certain amount of time.

I'd say being creative and different isn't a crime