I know it's all the rage these days to write poetry that does not rhyme. In fact I've had some people tell me that rhyming poetry is 'oh so amateurish!'... It reminds me of the aesthetic arguments re. 'pure form' versus 'experential continuity'.  As with most things, I see merit in both sides of the argument and can never really be an advocate for a sole perspective.  That's why, when I write poetry, I mix it up a bit. 

Dorothy Porter's 'The Monkey's Mask' is a must-read for poets in my opinion.  Perhaps you've already read it but in case you haven't, grab a copy and take a look.  She has constructed an entire novel in poetic form...It didn't rhyme...and I loved it.

But who can go past magnificent rhyming classics like 'The Pied Piper of Hamelin' by Robert Browning or 'The Man From Snowy River' by good 'ol Banjo?  I know I can't.

What do you guys think?  And perhaps someone can enlighten a novice such as myself, why the shunning of the 'rhyme'?