I used to love perl but switched to python almost 10 years ago. It is beautful how perl code can be so terse - at the same time I was constantly having trouble to understand my own code 6 months after I wrote it.
IMHO Python has a better compromise between expressiveness and maintainability but of course it's a matter of personal taste.
I do agree with your point, however when writing quick code on windows and unix I think perl really does the job. It is just the matter of using the languages available and that you are most fluent in.