Ever read a poem and felt like the poet was whispering some inside joke or reference you didn’t quite catch? Chances are, you just ran into an allusion. Don’t worry—it’s not as mysterious as it sounds. An allusion is simply when a poet (or any writer, really) drops a quick reference to something or someone well-known. This could be a nod to a famous book, a historical event, a myth, or even pop culture. It’s like giving the reader a wink and saying, “You know what I’m talking about, right?”