I can't say that I know much about poetry, or even what it is. I have read poems and memorized a few. I get the feeling that "poetry" is deliberate, careful language that aims to be effective and impressive. I am scheduled to meet with some people interested in both poetry and prose next week and I saw a book called The Hatred of Poetry for a good price. I downloaded it for Kindle and read this by the author who is also the editor of a poetry magazine. Here he is discussing the idea and worth of being able to honestly said that one is a "published poet":
I have three letters here that contain the sentence, "I don't know how long I have." I also received multiple letters from prisoners who felt poetry publication was their best available method for asserting they were human beings, not merely criminals. I'm not mocking these poets; I'm offering them as examples of the strength of the implicit connection between poetry and the social recognition of the poet's humanity. It's an association so strong that the writers in question observe no contradiction in the fact that they are attempting to secure and preserve their personhood in a magazine that no one they know will see. It is as though the actual poem and publication do not matter; what matters is that the poet will know and can report to others that she is a published poet, a distinction that nobody—not Death, not the social death of exclusion from the Law—can take from her.
Lerner, Ben. The Hatred of Poetry (p. 15). Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Kindle Edition.
When these letters were written, I don't know. The Hatred of Poetry is copyrighted in 2016.
I guess sometimes people are seeking personal worth and the verification of their worth. Often serving an approved purpose such as living for God or for a noble cause satisfies that need. If personal popularity and fame are high, the acclaim of others may assure us that we matter.
Depending on the definition of being published, a person can get published right away on
Blogger - www.blogger.com
Wordpress https://wordpress.com
Google Sites https://sites.google.com
