From: Don Knuth <DEK@SAIL.Stanford.EDU>
To: smithda@CPSVAX.cps.msu.edu
Subject: macros for poems?
Date: 17 Oct 88 1357 PDT

I hope some reader of TeXhax besides me will have understood the TeXbook clear enough that he/she can send you the equivalent of the following: 
	\def\beginpoetry{$$\vbox\bgroup \let\par=\cr \obeylines
		\halign\bgroup##\hfil\cr}
	\def\endpoetry{\egroup\egroup$$}
	\def\endofverse{\noalign{\medskip}}
[ Note that both CPSVAX and SAIL have been retired. ]