A poem is
A poem is - Jon Stallworthy
Every poet has his or her own definition of poetry. When my daughter Pippa asked me what a poem was, I told her
A poem is
something that someone is saying
no louder, Pip, than my ‘goodnight’ –
words with a tune, which outstaying
their speaker travel as far
as that amazing, vibrant light
from a long-extinguished star.
from Rounding the Horn (Carcanet 1998), © Jon Stallworthy 1998, used by permission of the author and the publisher.