a poem ~ what is it exactly

 a poem ~ what is it exactly

a philosophical colander

is it possible to create a poem 

can that poem be a stand-alone entity

did it form in the mind of a poet 

or did it pre-exist as a template/s

can a template/s exist if no one reads it 

can a template pre-exist if no one wrote it

can a poem create its own template 

can a poem be virtual and pop up out of nothing

are there rules to be adhered to or to be broken

is a poem simply a set of rules

a formula

a precedent 

can language gel in such a way that it is stand-alone

can language originate as one hand clapping

a poem the dust of its self-congratulation 

does it need to say anything

does it need to elicit an emotion

can it be nonsense 

if so whose sense is it non

can it just exist on its own

is it found and by whom

is there a natural algorithm 

like the laws of crystal formation

of protein folding

are words atoms

are lines molecules

is rhyme or no rhyme epigenetic 

predetermining the structure of a body of work

is a poem like a universe

with no boundary no outside

no inside 

no beginning no end

if no one calls it a poem

is it still a poem

if no one hears it calling

if it breaks not one heart

is it still a poem

what is it in that moment when a poem forms

that elicits a frisson in the mind of the scribe

the knowing by the writer that it is something special

is there an audience in that eureka moment

is there an audience to that eureka moment

joy yes

oh yes there is joy

who said that

come on  speak up 

you you insufferable snitch 

go and stand there in the corner all alone