special arrangements of words that qualify as poetry are subject to quite a bit of historical variability. Value judgments change. Yet despite this variability in tastes and judgments, certain technical features—craft elements—can be identified in common across all types of poetry.

reflect upon all the special uses of language that different societies throughout history have considered to be poetry, there seems to be little consensus.

poetry is a special way of using language, a heightened attention to the materiality of the words, the marks on the page, and vibrations in the air that create and convey all meaning.