>> I tend to worry, when I come back to them later, that they're too "dated" compared to poems about more timeless subjects. <<

That's actually one the key reasons why I write current events into poetry. It's like a literary snapshot of that moment in time. I can take it out years later and remember the occasion.

Think about some historic poetry you have read, how it pulls you into a particular point of time. Timeless poetry doesn't do that as well. Then again, there is an overlap, where truly great poetry uses a singular incident to illustrate an enduring truth. Consider "The Charge of the Light Brigade" on the stupidity of war and dogmatic obedience, as demonstrated by a suicidal battle in the Crimean War.