What is a person who writes a poem?

A poet is a person who writes a poem. From the Greek verb poein or poiein, a poem is a thing made. How so? A poem is NOT an exact replica of nature, although nature provides the source from which poems are made. The poet takes an ordinary human experience and, by adding his unique perception or reaction to it, he creates a new thing. It is very much like light passing through a prism. The light is nature or experience, and the prism is the poet’s perception or unique way of looking at that experience. What comes out the other side is nature TRANSFORMED.