What is the significance of Valmiki as a poet?

Valmiki is considered to have composed the first shloka, a verse with a poetic meter that is the most common in classical Sanskrit literature. According to the Ramayana, Valmiki wrote that first verse spontaneously in deep sorrow after witnessing a hunter’s killing of a male krauncha bird and the bird’s female partner’s lament. Valmiki’s Ramayana consists of 24,000 shlokas. For his poetic efforts Valmiki is referred to as Adi Kavi (First Poet) as well as Maharishi (Great Sage).