Part of today's inspiring Obama inauguration was Elizabeth Alexander's reading of her poem, Praise Song for the Day. At the risk of seeming churlish, I have to say it reminded me of a question that comes to mind every time I hear Garrison Keillor's daily Writer's Almanac radio spot: How can they call this 'poetry' ? There's no discernible meter, no rhyme — it's not a poem, it's an essay.
(I will be the first to concede that as a literary scholar, I'm a pretty good lawyer . . . .)

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