Power
Well, you've got the power to move people. Enthrall them. Bring them to tears of joy or sorrow. That should count for something, right?
Maybe you've got the power to tell people you're doing what you absolutely love more than anything else in the world, which is certainly something respectable.
But there's not much more to it than that, as far as social power is concerned. Poets don't carry nearly as much literary weight as they did back in the (admittedly terrible) days before television and the internet became the chief relief for people's boredom.
Poetry may not be as powerful as it was in the days of Homeric epics, but there are still plenty of people who love reading poetry. A decently well-advertised poetry jam or open mic night at a coffee shop might actually pull in a few dozen people who are there to enjoy themselves.
However, unless you plan on hypnotizing fans into indentured servitude two or three at a time at your book signings, poetry isn't going to be your route to taking over the world.