poets and poetry

For the second time in this new year I have attended poetry gatherings in a public coffee house where people read what they have written. It's been a while since I tried to write any, but I am encouraged by what others write and share with a group. Poetry can speak to universal experiences that people relate to, and I think the writing of it is healing and can help clarify conflicting and difficult feelings. I have a hard time defining poetry; if someone says it's poetry, then I suppose it is. But it's definitely emotionally expressive, from a personal place, and can defy the rules of grammar.