What is poetic license?

Answer 1

Poetic license is a phrase used to mean distorting facts to make a story more interesting.

For example, on Meriwether Lewis' trip from New Orleans to Washington DC, to give interest to the uneventful leg to St. Louis he has an imaginary fling with an older lady.

Answer 2

There once was a girl with no fanny,

Who had a hard time getting tanny.

The problem was that

Her backside was flat,

And the rays of the sun hit uncanny.

Poetic license makes allowance for using words that aren't legitimate but make or add to the picture. They may not be a real word or they may be used in a non-traditional manner. In this poem, the word 'tanny' is incorrect as far as proper English goes, but used with poetic license, it lends a fanciful meaning to the tone of the poem. The final word 'uncanny' is a real word but is used in a non-traditional sense to deliver the punchline and make a creative observance.

Answer 3

It is the altering of details (facts, spellings, grammar, etc..) in order to make the poem 'work' better as a poem.