"Is there a way to center my poem? I tried the <center> at the beginning of
the first line and </center> at the end of the last but it still will not
center."

"Your set poem entry panel doesn't allow for font, color, center, align, etc -- so
pasting seems the only option to post a poem."

We've gotten a few questions like this -- and we apologize in advance, because it seems that our answer is an unpopular one.

When we started planning this site, we looked at different choices and we realized
that one of the benefits of our site would be a consistent layout and visual style across each page. This is why we do not allow most HTML tags. This isn't just for aesthetic reasons-- based on feedback, we have learned this is especially important for our members with disabilities, especially those that depend on a screen reader or on magnified text.

But we don't want to limit creativity - if a poem depends on a certain physical structure for its effect, you can still play with the layout. By using tabs and spaces you can control the positioning of your poem with a high degree of precision. However, we feel that big, bold colors, special alignments (like right align), and other features found in word processing software doesn't really make a poem much better. We feel the value of these features is offset by the negative effect that one poem will have on the presentation of the entire page - or the effect this would have for our poets who browse the site using screen-reading software.