As a christian Romance writer, I use poetry in some of my books. Poetry can convey feelings, and thoughts ,that produce imagery in the readers minds, that help them understand the main character better. Poetry is great as a flashback for a character of times past when their life didn't have so many obstacles. When they felt safe and secure. When all was wonderful. When they remember poems that spoke to them about life and love. It's good to incorporate poems at certain times throughout the story, giving your readers a taste of their thoughts, and feelings. It can just be a line from a poem that hit them where they were hurting, of a stanza that brought floods of precious memories they had once forgotten. it good to use poems that move you and that fit into your story. But if it's not your own work (I write all my own poetry so I own the rights to them) please check out the right's and see if it's okay to publish a stanza, live, or verse. This will keep you from legal action later on. In conclusion I say use poetery if you feel it fits your story line, and will draw your reader in closer to your character. It's a great tool for a writer!
Here's a poem from my book "Esther" out now on amazon
It's where one of my main characters was reflecting over his ex-wife's betrayal and their divorce. "When Love Ends" This was from my poetry book "When Love Ends/ Poems Of The Heart" but it fit perfectly into this section of my story which revealed the emotional hurt he was feeling.
Why did you ever love me
I ask myself each day
why did you ever love me
and then just walk away
was it the way I looked
my hair, or my skin?
then why did we ever start, or begin?
if I had the answers for theses
maybe my pain would end
why did this happen
was it all just pretend?
I ask my self these questions
as each day begins