Poetry is born in man's soul when his emotions are aroused, and no
emotions are aroused unless they are expressed in some way. Hence
Croce's view is correct that poetry is expression, if he means by
expression emotional and imaginative expression. People have too long
been under the impression that the poet was a different creature from
the rest of mankind, subject to a livelier imagination, or intenser
emotions. He is no different; on the contrary, there are many people who
never wrote a line who are more emotional and imaginative than many
poets. The process of the lover writing a letter involves the same
imaginative function as of the poet penning a love poem. The prose
expression of emotion is also poetry, but we have hitherto given the
name "poetry" only to the verse literary composition.