Cal for Caligula

Mailer sent me running for my book
Of modern poets, to scan therein
The slim-to-almost-none selected bits of Lowell.
I rarely study antecedents, but had to know
Why the man was celebrated.
I can see some sparks�"clever turns of phrase
And impish inconsistencies of rhyme,
But not much meter, and a rambling focus.
Did these appeal to those who sit in judgment?
All this worthiness perceived seems quite deceptive,
And though the poems I read are--yes--descriptive,
The mystery of what is dandy versus lousy
Deepens. O perhaps I need a college course
In verse appreciation?