Why have poets turned away from using rhyme?

Answer 1

Rhyme can add a musical touch to verse, but it often becomes boring. To the modern ear it can be strained, and can sound trite and antiquated. Other elements of form and prosody capture the poet's intentions without the distractions of rhyme.

There are few things worse than a precious rhyme forced into to a poem through the use of mangled and unnatural language. It is like badly formed chord changes in a song, put there because one must at all costs arrive at a desired note or harmony. Rework it or find another destination.

There are poets of the highest level who use and have used rhyme, but they are not great poets because they use rhyme. They know how to use rhyme because they are great. Few can make that claim, and fewer still should go down the rhyming road, unless they aspire to be Hallmark Greeting Card writers.