I like this definition of poetry as "organized use of language that cannot be replaced by paraphrase."
Seth has been talking a lot lately on art, in Linchpin and otherwise, as the act of creating something that connects with and changes someone. I like that model, and I'm beginning to incorporating the idea of irreplaceability. As in: you don't have to worry about anyone stealing your best ideas; if they are truly that good, they are the result of an irreplicable amount of work - cognitive or otherwise.
