On Wed, 15 Sep 2010, John Haltiwanger wrote:

In general though, it is completely unnecessary, as poetry generally has no
need to be defined in macros. But it's the edge cases, where I live :)

On the contrary, typesetting poerty can be very tricky. This is what I did once to typeset the divine comedy. Don't ask how I figured out the right value of the inbetween key :)

\setupindenting   [medium,yes]
\setuplines[inbetween={\crlf\par\setupindenting[next]\testpage[3]},indenting=next]

\starttext
\startlines
Midway upon the journey of our life
I found myself within a forest dark,
For the straightforward pathway had been lost.

Ah me! how hard a thing it is to say
What was this forest savage, rough, and stern,
Which in the very thought renews the fear.

So bitter is it, death is little more;
But of the good to treat, which there I found,
Speak will I of the other things I saw there.

I cannot well repeat how there I entered,
So full was I of slumber at the moment
In which I had abandoned the true way.

But after I had reached a mountain's foot,
At that point where the valley terminated,
Which had with consternation pierced my heart,

...
\stoplines
\stoptext