Plato denigrated poets, claiming that they don't know what they are writing as they are speaking from their inspiration, and also by portraying them as imitators.
As a poet, I take offense at this. I know very well why I write what I write. Nor do I imitate anyone.
Of course I have had all sorts of literary influences. I do not deny that. But I do not imitate other writers. In cases I work with other people's writings, I make appropriate attributions, then take the underlying ideas and run with them to a different place. This is the same as seeing scientists and engineers build on each other's accomplishments and improve technology.
Plato's claims on this matter are therefore very wrong. If anything, poetry can be a brilliant guide to reality. One poetic device toward that effect is the extended metaphor, in which different aspects of reality are compared - and reality is seen as expressed through both. With rhyming poetry, there is memorability that misses from prose. It can be a wonderful tool for communicating ideas in simple and memorable ways. In both cases, poetry can be a brilliant tool for expressing ideas; and Mr. Plato obviously did not understand this.
Sure, Plato was a brilliant philosopher. That does not however make him right about everything. What he said about poetry and poets is simply wrong. And it falls up to us now to correct his errors.