What are some other differences between poetry and prose?
• Poetry: The words in a poem are often chosen for their sound as well as for their multiple meanings and for the way their meanings are affected by other words in the same poem. The unit in poetry is the line. Because the unit is the line, sometimes (not always) each line begins with a capital letter and often sentences are broken up into phrases with extra spacing on the page between the end of the poetic line and the right-hand margin. In each line of poetry, the last word is important for its special meaning, sound, or function–or there is breathing space after the last word. Space is used to help convey the poetic experience. Often there is extra spacing to the left side as well as to the right side of lines in poems. Sometimes the lines are centered on the page. In poetry, every word counts a lot. For that reason, poetry is dense with meaning and therefore must be read more slowly than prose. In general a poem is a form that uses words to tranform the reader’s consciousness and/
