POETRY IS LIKE . . .

I read and hear a lot
of discussion and arguments
relative to what constitutes poetry
or what is a poem?
No one knows how many kinds
or types of poetry there are;
some estimate 50-plus,
with the more popular being:
rhyming, open-end, acrostic,
ode, sonnet, epic, haiku, story,
free verse, experimental, etc.
In my opinion, which I have a right to have,
poetry is a painting on a canvas: a
piece of paper, napkin, computer screen,
an emptying of the soul for self
expression and maybe a light, thought,
or insight for others...a bringing of
minds together.
To me, the basic tool of poetic expression
is a SIMILE. A simile is comparing
something or someone to another
object, place, or person, it's uses
"AS" or "LIKE" to make the comparison.
For example, a poem is like beauty,
it is in the eye of the reader;
a poem is like music in the ear
of the listener; a poem is like
food enjoyed by the taste in the mouth.
and on it goes.
What is a poem like to you?