If you look a word up in the dictionary and twenty minutes later you're still wandering around in the dictionary, you probably have the most basic equipment you need to be a poet.
This quote by Billy Collins captures the essence of poetic curiosity and the deep engagement with language that defines much of what it means to be a poet. The image of someone entering the dictionary to look up a word, only to emerge much later surrounded by a labyrinth of definitions, synonyms, and associated terms, suggests a journey rather than a mere search for meaning. This playful wandering speaks to the...