Why not read the poem stanza-by-stanza instead of line by line?

{
  local $/ = "";  # two or more newlines in a row
  @stanzas = <POEM>;
}

# or

{
  local $/ = "\n\n";  # two newlines in a row
  @chunks = <POEM>;  # you might not get the same results
}
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Jeff[japhy]Pinyan: Perl, regex, and perl hacker, who'd like a (from-home) job
s++=END;++y(;-P)}y js++=;shajsj<++y(p-q)}?print:??;