Some people are terrified to write. They do not have the courage to put their thoughts and poetic struggle on paper. Other people write them down, never intending to show them to anyone. The person who does this and arranges the words in what he thinks of as poetic form, is a poet.
Many poets never publish their work.
The poet who gains this courage is sometimes like a different person who arises inside, gaining courage and decides to take a chance on the world, like the young driver or flier who first goes solo out onto the road or into the sky. Going solo, or publishing, could be terrifying or exhilarating, but is most often the latter. People who read poetry are among the nicest people in the world, and are pleased that a new poet has presented his or her work for their pleasure. When the poet publishes and receives encouragement, he has gained a public and a readership to write for. Nothing encourages a talker more than an active listener.