It's true... poetry, no matter how finely crafted, gets little in the way of rewards. Presentation can help though. Have you checked out Savannah Brown? She aids her poetry with audiovisual support and does rather well on YouTube:
I know that's putting way more work into it, but perhaps doing something simpler is doable and offers good results ;)
Thank you. I am trying to figure how how to post readings of my work to enhance my writings, so this is very helpful. What's another 20 hours to earn $4 instead of $2? lol. That's not at all why I do it, but it sure doesn't hurt to get monetary validation.
I know, especially after you've put a lot of hours of work... hopefully we'll live to see the day Steem price rises lol