Verse work recalled English essay (6)
I believe the answer is:
poetry
'verse' is the definition.
(I know that verse can be written as poetry)
'work recalled english essay' is the wordplay.
'work' becomes 'op' (operation, work done in an operating theatre).
'recalled' says the letters should be written in reverse (to recall can mean to bring something back).
'english' becomes 'E' (abbreviation).
'essay' becomes 'try' (synonyms).
'op' in reverse letter order is 'po'.
'po'+'e'+'try'='POETRY'
(Other definitions for poetry that I've seen before include "'The Raven'?" , "Lines" , "rhyme" , "Verses" , "Literature in metrical form" .)