As Thoreau famously said: "We do not enjoy poetry unless we know it to be poetry."
People's opinions have varied throughout time as to what makes good poetry. Hence, there are many literary devices that may or may not be widely used now. Some writers and critics have argued that poetry should be didactic, and others have argued that it should be purely aesthetic, or convey emotion. Many poem forms have been popular, varying from ballads, to sonnets, to free-verse.
What actually makes something poetry though? Poetry does not, in fact, have to rhyme. It does not have to have a set meter. It doesn't have to be romantic, or sappy. It doesn't even have to-- ok, it DOES have to have words. The main elements of poetry are condensed idea, and relative precision. Epic poems don't count. That's just a fancy style of noveling, and it is so rarely done well, that it is almost never worth reading. That is just my opinion though, if you like epic poetry, then good for you. You are one of a very small crowd.
I generally hold that the most important quality deciding if a poem is of good quality is if it successfully portrays or evokes emotion in the reader. The second best thing is to use creative imagery and description. Neither of those matter though, if it seems like a writer is trying to hard. This is often the major problem with amateur poets trying to use rhyme and meter, but particularly rhyme. If you can rhyme naturally, great! Use it! If not, don't force rhyme, or you will lose meaning and value.
Anyway, my point is, that one should try to cultivate at least an appreciation for good poetry, and not just rely on not-always-well-written musical lyrics for culture. It would be great if people tried to write their own poetry, but you can't ask or too much. If you start reading the really good poetry, you may be surprised at how much you like it, and how much your writing improves!
As an aside, one of the best lyric poets currently well-known is Adam Young, or Owl City. If you listen to his music, I mean really listen, he uses great imagery, conveys emotion beautifully, and rhymes well without having to make up words, use ridiculous word-order, or fail to make sense. He employs an impressive vocabulary, and creates good allusions. he is also very easy to relate to. Might I also add that the music he composes very nicely compliments his words. If you aren't a fan of Owl City, you should be.
If you have didn't understand a single word I just said, either translate the page to a language you know better, or educate yourself on the topic, because this is obviously for you.
