Old editor picked up special poems (4)
I believe the answer is:
odes
'poems' is the definition.
(ode is a kind of poem)
'old editor picked up special' is the wordplay.
'old' becomes 'o' (abbreviation).
'editor' becomes 'ed' (abbreviation).
'picked up' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'special' becomes 'S' (common abbreviation as in Special Air Service).
'ed' back-to-front is 'de'.
'o'+'de'+'s'='ODES'
(Other definitions for odes that I've seen before include "poetry" , "Lyric poems" , "Lays" , "Lyrical poems" , "Songs" .)