Study poetry or the opposite (8)
I believe the answer is:
converse
'the opposite' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'study poetry' is the wordplay.
'study' becomes 'con' (con can informally mean to study).
'poetry' becomes 'verse' (synonyms).
'con'+'verse'='CONVERSE'
'or' is the link.
(Other definitions for converse that I've seen before include "Have a chat, being contrary" , "Talk - opposite" , "Exchange views" , "Turned round" , "Talk together" .)