social commentary

There's a rich history of poetry serving as social commentary, intended to inspire calls to action.

Little One, Don’t Forget
Hush now, little one, pull the moonlight up to your chin. The stars are whispering secrets, and I’ve got one to tuck you in.
By Brie Boleynabout a year ago in Poets
Sex on the Beach. Content Warning.
Sex on the Beach The night was wild, the sea was loud, waves crashed hard, the stars allowed. The moon leaned low, her silver eyes,
By ♿ V+ Marie381Uk about a year ago in Poets
Insurgence
They say the pen is mightier than the sword. Every regime sharpens steel for the scribes first. Because a stanza can slit a throat deeper than a saber,
By SUEDE the poetabout a year ago in Poets
Affiliate to the Blues
The blues called, and I answered not with apology, but with cadence. This is not a song for politeness. It is a dispatch from the mythic edge, where care is not weakness, and trouble is sacred. I grew up listening to the powerful voices of women before me, who shared their truths through worn microphones and with proud, unyielding spirit. Janis, Big Mama, Bessie did not whisper. They roared.
By Vicki Lawana Trusselli about a year ago in Poets
Kisses with Their Shoes On
Your mouth arrived like airport gates—announcements, hurried light— A kiss that kept its laces tied, already late for the flight.
By Milan Milicabout a year ago in Poets
We Are Done
The strike is over: long exhale; happier thoughts. And who do we blame? * Note: I just learned in the middle of teaching a class that the STM (Société de transport de Montréal) ended their strike (well, the maintenance workers, at least). Things might shut down on the weekend, but all digits are crossed that this will be the new norm.
By Kendall Defoe about a year ago in Poets
The Extra
I. Sometimes, you feel like an extra in a big budget film. Staring from afar hoping the camera may catch a glimpse of you
By Dean Traylorabout a year ago in Poets
From Spark to Ashes
Roasting Marshmallows at the firepit with notions of ghost stories is not quite the same as Microwavable Ramen Noodle Dinner Surprise.
By Shanon Angermeyer Normanabout a year ago in Poets
No Chance
Introduction This is a fictional situation, whatever you might read into it No Chance ⛔🚫📵🚷📵🚫⛔I Thought I'd Write A VillanelleWith This Form, I Am An ExpertThey Said No Chance, Now Go To Hell⛔🚫🚷🚫⛔And They Don't Think My Work Will SellAnyone Else Is Far BetterI Thought I'd Write A Villanelle⛔🚫🚷🚫⛔Then They Rang Their Funeral BellSaying I Should Never BotherThey Said No Chance, Now Go To Hell⛔🚫🚷🚫⛔I'm The One They Want to ExpelBut Know I Am Here ForeverI Thought I'd Write A Villanelle⛔🚫🚷🚫⛔Know I Do This Perfectly WellAnd Any Regret Will Be TheirsThey Said No Chance, Now Go To Hell⛔🚫🚷🚫⛔This Is The Story I Will TellI Have No Regret, It Is TheirsI Thought I'd Write A VillanelleThey Said No Chance, Now Go To Hell⛔🚫📵🚷📵🚫⛔
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred about a year ago in Poets
How much?
How much are you going to make from it? How much is it going to take? How much sleep, how much soul, how much sanity Before they say… “now that’s a living.”
By Marvelous Michaelabout a year ago in Poets
Hard inheritance.
my mother’s hands are cracked like drought season, lines that split into stories she never wrote down. stories told in oil-splatter scars,
By Marvelous Michaelabout a year ago in Poets
Can we… worship Him?
Can we be obsessed with You, not in the way they warn us about not in the thundering persona that seems too hard to reach,
By Marvelous Michaelabout a year ago in Poets