What is Poetry?

A couple of days ago I went into Barnes and Noble to look through their poetry section. This was after picking up the poetry books I have at the house and felt as though I didn't identify with their words or style. They just weren't motivating me to write.

After browsing through the books, filling one small shelf in the back of the store, I picked up one that I could really get into. The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes. From the little bit I flipped through, I was captured by his words, his style and rhythm.

So now I've begun reading, and am even reading the into - a part I usually skip. But I thought it would be important to know a little bit about the poet to see what made him tick, and what made him write.

There are two quotes in the intro, said by Langston Hughes that I just love, and I'm going to hold onto them as my inspiration to write.

"What is poetry? It is the human soul entire, squeezed like a lemon or lime, drop by drop, into atomic words."

"Hang yourself, poet, in your own words. Otherwise, you are dead."