Because You Asked about the Line Between Prose and Poetry (Howard Nemerov)

Well, I didn't, actually. I have always thought that the difference between poetry and prose is akin to the difference between porn and erotica. "I know it when I see it." But, I wanted to hear another take, so I delved into this poem by (new-to-me poet) Howard Nemerov.

This short poem rhymes, which is totally a short-cut. You don't need rhyme to make a poem. It also talks about Nature. Another short-cut.

Okay, so how it does it right. This poem, like a book or an essay, uses long, full, grammatically correct sentences and grammar. This poem has interesting line breaks (ugh, I used the word interesting!). I don't mean that sarcastically. I find that this poem breaks the lines in places that are unique to poetry. Each line seems complete as it is, but when you read it as prose, you take breaths at completely different locations. Very neat.

Favorite line: "Sparrows were feeding in a freezing drizzle"