Marcelo's Reading and Thinking Log

I am not a poetry guy. I have nothing against old style poetry, though I do not know much of it. But it is modern poetry that rubs me the wrong way. I cannot say I hate it, because there are many things in it that are interesting. But the main question for me is: couldn't it be expressed in a better way? And it is obvious that it is not going to happen, because a lot of energy is expended precisely in expressing it in that particular way. And what characterizes it? All that I have read fails to nail down what gives poetry its literary identity. But I think I finally got it, and it can be summarized in one word: ellipsis. I will explain it: a writer has an idea, writes it straight (perhaps in his mind only), and then rewrites it, omitting, or hiding, an essential piece of information. The result is poetry.