I beg to differ. In High School we were taught in English class to see Mitchell and Dylan and Paul Simon and John Lennon and even rappers as poets. And I see the connections. Our National Anthem was just a poem first. The idea can come from the words or it can come from the music. And how many songwriters have doodle books of lyrics awaiting music...some of which may never get set or recorded as a song? Are those not poems in their own right?

I'm not saying song lyrics and poems are unconnected. But spoken language, you must admit, functions in a totally different way to language that has its rhythms set by the score of music. In fact, I think the closest point of connection between the two may be rap songs, where the spoken voice drives the beat of the song, rather than vice versa.

I mean, you have to draw the limits of 'a poem' somewhere, don't you?