I dug this one out of the stacks. A classic definition of poetry: "the spontaneous overflow of emotion recollected in tranquility." If you break it down each part makes a lot of sense. Even though it's from two hundred years ago it still holds up. In particular for love poetry, but also poems about nature. Not as well for poems dealing with a deadly tragedy. There's not much future tranquility in the last case.
But mainly it means that poems are best written after the fireworks are over. Poets need distance from their explosive feelings. Let some time pass and a person might be able to jot down a few lines. Composing poetry about a lacerating experience releases painful energy still burning inside your troubled body. It's often the most cost effective way of getting beyond a traumatic past. Art can be great therapy. It moves you along.
