The poet, we hear, is excluded (6)
I believe the answer is:
barred
'is excluded' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'the poet we hear' is the wordplay.
'the poet' becomes 'bard' (bard is a kind of poet).
'we hear' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'bard' sounds like 'BARRED'.
(Other definitions for barred that I've seen before include "Precluded, obstructed" , "Excluded, blocked" , "Refused entry to local pub" , "Refused access to, say pub" , "Wouldn't allow" .)