Purpose of Poetry

Pags, I loved your comment.  I think both your opening tongue-in-cheek comment and your more serious answer place you squarely in the number 3 camp though--communicating powerully--whether for recognition or just to get a message across.  There are some good reasons that Christ taught through parables.  Sometimes it was to hide things.  But at other times, it was because showing communicates more effectively than telling.  Maybe I need to add a category for recognition.  I'd be lying if I said that wasn't at least a small part of the reason I write poetry.

I intended all of the answers to be valid to someone.  I had several reasons for posting the poll.  1. to allow  the readers a chance to self-evaluate.  2. to find out what the community was like. 3. to offer some possibilities to folks who haven't considered the whys and wherefores of poetry. 

I'm surprised I got this many responses so quickly.  Thanks for that.