The Poem True

Who has the greater right to judge whether a poem is a true poem or not? Is it the poet, or is it the reader?

The Poem True

The drumbeat of the rhythmic line resounds within the poet's mind.
And he who would a poet be all rules must follow to a 'T'.
A fault it is to labour on with faulty rhyme and rhythm gone.
'Iamb that iamb', the poet said, while trochees rumbled in his head.

The eight foot, five foot, four foot line deserves to catch the reader's mind.
And he who would a reader be must read aloud to plainly see
what fault the faulty line rests on and how the poet's sense has gone.
'I am the one', the reader said, 'to judge the poem in my head.'

Author's Note

lower case at beginning of stanza 2, line 3 - sentence continued from line 2.