Poetry is actually quite well received by children - I used to read to classes who would visit the library and also take poetry sessions to local schools as part of the national curriculum. Admittedly, it was 12 years or so ago, but even so, considerably more contemporary than I suspect the memories of school poetry are of some posting above.

Personally I loathed poetry at school because they were all stodgy, classical things and we were forced to learn it by rote. One week, we had to pick a poem and learn it... from a class of 32 girls, 31 chose 'The Unquiet Grave' - "The wind doth blow today my love, and a few small drops of rain". One chose 'Tyger, tyger'.   Give you three guesses who!

Anyway... poetry was included in the national curriculum at primary school age (4-11) in the decade, it's then that the seeds are sewn and if the poems they hear or read grab their interest, they will go on to read more as they grow older. As far as I'm aware, clog dancing has never made it into the national curriculum - and if it did, I'm pretty sure Health and Safety would have something to say about it!

Of course, once they grow up and start noticing the opposite sex, poetry is going to go right out of the window - as Les Barker put it: Is poetry better than sex? No it's bloody well not!

LTS