What Else Could it Be? (Response to Pound Poem)

"The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough."
-Ezra Pound, In a Station of the Metro

After a brief google search I have learned that this poem is widely known in the literary world. It has pervaded the majority of literary anthologies and is also at the heart of a debate. Many question its relevance, meaning, and most importantly whether or not it's even a poem. Of course it's a poem, what else could it be? It does much more than a sentance. It contains several elements of poetry as well. When did we begin defining literature by length anyways?

To begin, note the way the words easily fall from the lips. The two lines are almost musical. This sound comes from the assonance in "crowd" and "bough", creating near rhyme. This is poetic in itself.

Pound amazingly does so much with so few words. Its important to remember that the title gives perspective to the poem as well as clarity to the metaphor. As I read, I imagine being at a bustleing train station. All around a sea of people rushes by. But as I look, I notice individual faces emerge, or rather, bloom into life. They are unique and beautiful, like flowers, and come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. The descripion of the "wet, black bough" gives the impression of a rainy, overcast day. The imagery not only blends two completely different scenes but makes them harmonize each other. There are so many poems of great length that fail to leave this strong of an impression.

Therefore my response to the nay-sayers is do you look for quality in literaure, or quantity? Like the faces in the crowd, it is important to see the finer details instead of judging the whole.