to the caps lock junkies, pretentious inkfarts, monks & poet sheep

Sure, it's a matter of choice but if you don't know why you do something and tradition can't justify it either then it may be time to assess the practice on its merits.

One needn't get into reader response theory in order to understand that communication is a mutual responsibility scenario where everyone constantly wonders where the happy syntactical medium is.  
 
Of course you're not wrong. Many traditions may only be explained away as a keyboarding habit or even a calligraphic addiction. And while it is true that free verse has spread faster than a pancreatic cancer ever since Walt Whitman launched it out of Pandora's box, the pendulum of pretension may be swinging back toward some semblance of textual ratio and proportion that was almost done in by the digital disregard for syntactical order, such as line length. I have seen some spectacularly horrendous specimens of line length irregularity since coming to DUP. I will be nobody's meter Nazi, but at least pretend that you may want it to fit on an actual page someday, and no, I'm not referring to you, as I generally enjoy your work:)  
 
Even the essayist knows something of lineation as an ingredient of paragraphic harmony.  
 
Sure, some of us were poor students in Mrs. Hughes's eighth grade typing class, but we were left with at least a rudimentary concern for keeping the words somewhere within the tortuous razor wire of the eight and a half by eleven page, even though it was never a bondage so severe as that often depicted in DUP erotica.  
 
Go figure.  
 
For those who care to explore the topic further, I recommend Jason Schneiderman's article in the July/August 2022 issue of The American Poetry Review, titled..."A History and Theory of the Line in English Language Poetry"...on Page 21.

Greatly appreciate your detailed reply, MS.  
Whilst I use both freeverse and rhyme I would never consider capitalizing the first letter of each line for either. My understanding is that in days of yore it was used to let the reader know : Hey, this is a poem as opposed to prose, which hardly seems necessary on any poetry website in 2023 and surely it's for the reader to decide what is and what isn't a poem.
My research reveals that no-one knows for sure why it was started in the first place. So if it's a case of follow the leader for old times sake maybe the debate is should more modern thinking prevail.
I appreciate the beauty of formal poetry and admire its structure as much as anyone, however on many occasions the caps first brigade shoot themselves in the foot and only confuse the reader.  
There is no doubt in my mind that flow plays second fiddle and all too frequently, is a casualty forcing stumble and readback which conflicts with our natural predisposition to absorb text from left to right.
Sadly, it can be an editor's nightmare when clarity is sacrificed at the expense of a rigid and illogical practice that no longer serves a useful purpose, but each to his own and it's all JMHO of course.  
Best ~ Abra

Yah I'm a first word capitalizer, so I appreciate your clarity.  However imo there is no wrong way to write.  Just your way, my way and there way.  Which in the end is still the paint on the canvas as we see fit to draw it.  Good write.

Bat

Thanks Bat, you're right of course, but personally I try and do everything to help readers get where I want them to go. For me, there's no point in leaving style blocks at the start of every line all shouting hey look at me. Potholes on the highway won't improve the ride and sometimes they can break your wheels.
Most don't capitalize these days but if you really have to, of course that's fine too.
Best ~Abra

hello dearest Abra really I just write... wrong or right it is a form of expression for me... I think writing is an artform I have no real skill in the art aspects of it just a driving force to write....my poetry may never grace that of a poetry book for my lack of care...I enjoyed this and I am often envious of those who can adhere to form 💕

Brenda, there are not many of us who can write as prolifically as you do.
Always do your own thing, it's what you're good at and what you do best.
Never belittle your talent.
I don't say any style is wrong I only try to understand things better but for me this aspect seems to defy logic.
Capitalizing the last letter of every line would make as much sense.
Best ~Abra

I understand dearest Abra it makes no sense to me either I guess I wish I could do form poems you know follow the patterns I suppose it's laziness or a rebellious side of me that doesn't... thank you I write because I must my mind is always so full of words and nobody really likes to talk that much including me especially about things that lack definitive answers I enjoyed your write very much it made me think 💕

If one word I've written makes someone think, then it's a bonus.
Keep the faith, Brenda :)

Well put Ethan. I've always felt that what a poem has to say is more important than its presentation, but the combination of the right message and appropriate style will hit the poetic sweet spot more often than not. I'm a bit of a chameleon in my own writing which I view as experimental expression for entertainment purposes rather than poetry ( primarily my own entertainment ) so I'm the last person to criticise alternative styles.  
We are especially fortunate to enjoy such freedom and a diverse approach only contributes to the enrichment of the artform if that's what the correct label is for it, but that wont stop me wondering why some formalists treat it like religion or what they hope to achieve, especially if it hinders the essence of communication itself.
Totally with you on your last two lines, btw  -- the balance here is shot.
Best ~Abra

The continuing aesthetic debate between form and content is a worthy one where seemingly the young and energetic tend toward the siren call of less restrictive techniques in order to get the message out as quickly as possible, without having to concern themselves with the inconvenience of elegance. Later, you may ask in a moment of reflection why anyone might bother with any attempt at poetic form whatsoever, and that critique will always be valid, but hopefully checked by the realization that sometimes those inconveniently restrictive traditional forms had some sort of compelling merit which many poets found to be irresistible, and may tempt some poets into songwriting itself, which is an additional layer of form, in a manner of speaking. I can only offer a comparison to illustrate.    
   
When we go to the art museum, why do we sometimes encounter a painting with a frame fancier than the painting itself? This happens when the museum curators put the frame carpenter in charge of the overall package when the overall presentation should prioritize the painting first as they remember that some sort of frame will be an indisputable improvement because presentation matters. This is like when musicians overwhelm the lyrics with over amplified instrumentation.    
   
Thusly we realize that poetic form and content are an attempt to, ideally, compliment one another akin to pairing a good wine with what is found upon the accompanied plate.    
   
It turns out that elegance is its own reward and the union of poetic form and content is no exception to the tradition. However, there is always the danger of pairing things that don't really belong together, like oil and water.    
   
Fortunately within this galaxy of potential lay the perfect union of your message with a form that is perfectly appropriate for your unique message, and your linguistic journey is one of a satisfying exploration and discovery for a kind of sacred combination. Does that make art a religion? No. I don't think so. But why not make things more pleasurable, if it is not too costly to do so, such as sacrificing the meaning of the message? I invite you to give more forms a try. Who knows? Maybe you will stumble upon something you can't live without:)

I'm fortunate, as are you, to have witnessed the enormous changes in poetry largely due to the internet. I do not pretend to like or welcome all of it. An audience with dwindling attention spans attracted to minimalism, or its progeny micropoetics, probably never get to read classical poetry or appreciate its worth. Tiktokery thrives and whilst I have little interest in spoken word rappers machine gunning their work over YouTube I confess that these days I don't often listen to Yeats reciting either.  
Working as an editor taught me how fluid language and the way we present it can be and that it's best not to resist the tide if you wish to survive. I should add (horror of horrors) I'm in the throes of finishing a book of minimalist scribble so there won't be many lines needing caps  but for clarity's sake I would never delete them all

I never really gave the line start capitalization issue much thought until reading your poem, but after a brief survey of line starts in some books from my library, I now realize just how well entrenched the tradition is, and I can't fathom any logical purpose to it other than some long lost font centered visual ideal.

I even checked a more recent work by A.E. Stallings, who is something of a formalist, although she at least plays loose with her stanzas now and then. But sure enough, she still capitalizes her first line letters every bit as much as Alexander Pope does in his work.

Habits get wired in. I have done a few poems recently where I switched to standard prose style capitalization but found myself going back to classic first letter of the line capitalization which I picked up as I learned. I must consider a re-edit.

Right you are about about attention spans and machine gun rappers, but don't let yourself give up on Yeats just yet. I recently read through Celtic Twilight and was satisfactorily entertained.