How vivid must imagery be for a piece to be called a poem
A noun preceded by lavish sensory details
followed by a pensive verb and pompous adjective.
A luminous lampion illuminates
the slippery road of obtuse peasants.

How figurative should the words be to befit poetry
unabridged emotions graspable only
by the solver of cryptic metaphors.
An amateur, blindfolded curator gazes at a rainbow
on a canvas soaked in black paint.

How important are meter, rhythm, rhyme, and lyrics
when every reader hears
a different tune in their head?
A tone-deaf conductor flamboyantly swaying their baton
is greeted with a standing ovation.

Can plain-language existential musings
that deal with accessible feelings
be defined as poetry?
Oh dear fellow unknowns
we might as well find a new name
to define the scribbles we have written—
for not every style is affordable.