social commentary
There's a rich history of poetry serving as social commentary, intended to inspire calls to action.
Shadows Before Dawn
Night clings heavy, stars hide behind clouds, wind whispers warnings, but no one listens. City sleeps restless, streets hold secrets, footsteps echo softly, footsteps that vanish. Luna walks alone, heart pounding fiercely, chasing shadows cast, by dreams unspoken. Darkness breathes deep, fear wraps tight, but hope sparks quiet, flickering like flame. Voices call distant, truth hides well, waiting for courage, to break silence. Morning will come, bringing light sharp, cutting through shadows, revealing hidden truths. Until then, Luna stands firm, waiting with strength, ready to fight.
By Hazrat Usman Usmanabout a year ago in Poets
Silence Beneath Ruins
Ash filled lungs. Fire long gone. Dust kept rising. Jani walked slow. Eyes scanned walls. Cracks told truth. Hope felt thin. No more voices. Silence had weight. Rooms breathed alone. Footsteps felt loud. Air held secrets. Days turned cold. She found calendar. Red ink screamed: "Leave before silence grows sharp teeth.” Wind held breath. Metal groaned low. No rats moved. Shadows grew thick. Jani stepped back. Something was near. Beneath her feet a soft whisper. Not a ghost. Not a lie. But something real. Waiting in dark. Dust shifted slowly. She stood still. Eyes wide open. No time left. Floor cracked loud. She leaped sideways. Avoided sharp fall. Heart raced fast. Under broken rubble, She saw light. Faint, flickering glow. Not natural flame. She reached down. Light grew stronger. A hand rose. Not hers another. Fleshless, bone thin. Wrapped in metal. Gripping her wrist. She screamed hard. No one answered. Only silence fed. Jani was gone.
By Hazrat Usman Usmanabout a year ago in Poets
The Lie We Live
We wake each day to blinking screens, chasing likes, but losing life. We scroll for truth and drown in filters, believing the loudest must be right. We call it progress but breathe smoke. We speak of peace, yet feed on war. The sky grows warmer, but we wear shades. The oceans choke, we turn the page. We label people like canned goods gender, race, religion, class as if identity fits in barcodes. We raise children with fears we inherited, planting hate like seeds in soil. We bow to money, praise plastic kings, build walls against our neighbors. We hoard more things than time to use, and still feel empty. Truth is censored in polite conversations. Kindness is weakness. Silence is survival. We forget the poor until they scream. We forget the earth until it burns. We live in boxes, think in borders, speak in codes, die with regrets. But what if just what if we stopped running and looked around? What if we saw the child in pain and didn’t scroll? What if we listened instead of waiting to speak? What if we measured a person’s worth by their humanity not status, skin, or salary? What if we remembered the sun shines without permission? That nature heals without applause? That silence is not weakness it’s power. Open your eyes. Look beyond the glass. Beyond the noise. Beyond the masks. The world is cracking, but hope grows in the breaks. You are not powerless. You are not too late. But you must wake up before the clock runs out.
By Hazrat Usman Usmanabout a year ago in Poets
If I Tell You
Introduction This is based on the concept that if you tell someone what they should do, then they only do it to keep you quiet, so you have to give them gentle nudges to make them see the error of their ways. Admittedly, there are times when no amount of nudging works, and you have to come out with those words, but then you can't really trust them to keep on the right path.
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred about a year ago in Poets
