In Jean-Pierre Simeón’s picture book, This is a Poem that Heals Fish (translated from French), a young boy goes in search of the meaning of poetry. “What is a poem?” he asks around town—to the bike repair man, the baker, his neighbor. Here are some of the answers:

• A poem is when you are in love and have the sky in your mouth
• A poem is hot like fresh bread
• A poem is when you hear the heartbeat of a stone
• A poem is when words beat their wings 

Write your own definition(s) for “poem”, dear writers, using simile, metaphor, and imagery to capture the essence of that which is quite difficult to put into words.