Oscar Wilde wrote, in the beginning of Dorian Grey, "All art is useless". We could reply that if something is gleened or learned from it, then it becomes a vehicle for usefulness. He didn't say all art is worthless. And turning inspiration into compensation may be an art onto itself. We value poetry as we would a painting or song that stood out in some way to bring us a moment's satisfaction.
The art cannot be the moment, the painting is not the Irises, the song is not the love discovered or lost, but it can remind us of the moment when we felt that way, and has the power to bring it on. The attitude toward art is so much dependent on the observer; on the prejudices, the beliefs, the age, the gender, the race, the religion, the language, the culture, the country, the education, the income level, and the life experiences of the audience. Tastes change as people change. A measure of a work of art is in it's ability to appeal to many different kinds of people, now and in the future.
"The purpose of this volume is not to thrust upon the public another anthology which, after decorating the drawing-room a few days at Christmas, shall go to rest under the dust on the top shelf." This written by Augustus White Long, of his anthology, "American Poems: 1776 - 1900, published in 1905. He goes on to mention that he hopes the reader will find something useful. And so do I. http://archive.org/stream/americanpoemswi01longgoog#page/n6/mode/2up