I really enjoyed this whole exercise. When I write fiction, I'm always looking for the most concrete noun, the strongest verb. There's a structure to a story, a novel. I know poetry uses great words and has structure, too, but to me - a non-poet - it also feels like there's a gracefulness, a freedom inherent in poetry that I don't usually find in a story. It's like fiction (stories, novels) is the pair of cute yet sturdy pink-and-brown sneakers you wear all the time and poetry is the pair of shiny sandals that lets you show off your toe rings and painted orange nails.
(See, that description is exactly why I'm not a poet.)
