Poetry is not the “draw” it once was.  In the nineteenth century, it was relatively common for poetic works to be taught in schools, to be memorized in whole or in part, and to be the subject of public readings.  No longer.  One would today be hard-pressed to name any modern poets who have achieved the same level of notoriety that successful writers of prose have attained.  We no longer hear of poets commemorating notable events or celebrating public figures; school children are not required to memorize verses; and a general air of archaism seems to hover over the literary form. What is produced seems bereft of recognizable meter, allure, or skill in creation.