News at Eleven (Back Page): "A poem sometimes possesses rhyme

or meter, though this is not necessary," [U.S. District Judge John F.] Keenan wrote. "A poem is typically free from the usual rules of grammar, punctuation and capitalization." In a footnote, he cited testimony that before "World War Two, a poem almost always had rhyme or meter." Now, "the popular definition of poem has become much more lenient."

from Asbury Park Press: Judge rules on what makes a poem

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