What makes "Mending Wall" a poem?

Robert Frost's poem, "Mending Wall," is one of the representative of modern poetry, but not in the high-art sense of poets like T.S. Eliot. This is considered a poem because it tells a story with images and figurative language. Frost uses the wall as a metaphor for boundaries. The speaker doesn't understand why a wall has to separate him from his neighbor. The speaker wonders throughout the poem why the wall must be repaired, and...

Robert Frost's poem, "Mending Wall," is one of the representative of modern poetry, but not in the high-art sense of poets like T.S. Eliot. This is considered a poem because it tells a story with images and figurative language. Frost uses the wall as a metaphor for boundaries. The speaker doesn't understand why a wall has to separate him from his neighbor. The speaker wonders throughout the poem why the wall must be repaired, and uses images like elves and spells to try to explain the mystery of it all.

Frost uses inverted language like "Something there is that doesn't love a wall," which is a poetic device for aiding in the rhythm and pace of a poem. He uses metaphors saying that boulders are loaves--saying they are like loaves of bread. He uses repeated lines throughout the poem for emphasis. This text has no linear plot, which makes it a poem, rather than something like a short story.