social commentary
There's a rich history of poetry serving as social commentary, intended to inspire calls to action.
More of Self
The words they call Shakespeare Where is my pound of flesh In the darker side of humanity I expelled it across My ledger of creation From behind and below From the inside out I could use Damocles I guess That has stuck with me All my life It To proliferate My art In the shadow of the perilous sword My want Is to feel the Steinbeck In me, the understanding, beauty But the horror Without hiding Behind a ledger of Anything grey or black Was almost always more intriguing Or made the pure and good Even more impressive Forth with Jekyll My doctor my captain They The bastard I am doubt And cannot ignore All my Degraded egos And My own Disintegration In spite of Victor I am more Of self And dare each and every one Of you Out there To question validity And artistry As if communing with Those who came before Hemingway or Joyce Who echoed the halls Of history Through their fingers And felt the pains Of humanity In their hearts
By Paul Stewart4 months ago in Poets
Binary Brains & Quantum Blues
Some stories don’t come from quiet reflection — they come from lived truth, side‑eye wisdom, and the kind of grown‑woman clarity you earn after years of watching people panic over things they don’t understand. Yesterday was one of those days: fear was loud, misinformation was everywhere, and folks were shouting about things they couldn’t explain. Instead of arguing, I wrote a blues story — one that laughs at the panic, calls out the contradictions, and celebrates the kind of wisdom that refuses to be boxed in. Binary Brains & Quantum Blues is my blues piece about fear, tech, humor, and the way I walk through the world now, with less patience for nonsense and a whole lot more room for truth. Binary Brains & Quantum Blues The Less-Bullshit Blues [Verse 1] Woke up this mornin', heard a woman scream Said "AI’s comin’ to steal my dreams" She never wrote a line of code in her life But she’s preachin’ doom like a back-porch wife I just sip my coffee, shake my head slow Fear makes fools outta folks who don’t know [Spoken Word] I woke up in a binary world Zeros and ones tryin’ to tell me who I am But my mind don’t walk in straight lines Baby, I’m quantum I jump, I shimmer, I expand [Chorus] I got them quantum blues Where fear don’t tell me what to choose Binary minds stuck in one or two But baby I’m both, I’m the whole damn truth They run from shadows they made themselves I walk through worlds they ain’t never felt [Verse 2] I heard a woman cryin’ loud Said "AI’s gonna take my soul" But she still uses GPS to find Her way to the corner store Fear makes folks see monsters Where there ain’t nothin’ but code [Verse 3] One lady cried, “AI wasn’t ready!” Voice all shaky, hands all unsteady Talkin’ ’bout tech like she built the mainframe But she can’t even reset her password game I told her gently, “Honey, breathe… Your fear’s louder than the truth you believe.” [Chorus] I got them quantum blues Superposition in my shoes Binary tries to box me in But I refuse, I refuse I’m too grown for that old code Too wise for their old news Yeah, I’m quantum, baby And I got the less-bullshit blues [Verse 4] Another said, “I want my old internet back!” Dial-up dreams and panic attacks I said, “Girl, hop in your time machine 1999’s where you’ll find that scene.” Fear’s a ghost that haunts the weak But blues folks laugh when the ghost tries to speak [Bridge] Now they’re sayin’ AI’s the devil Tryin’ to split folks left and right Fear’s the oldest trick in the book Keepin’ people too scared to unite Divide and conquer ain’t new, baby It’s just dressed up in digital fright [Chorus] I got them quantum blues Superposition in my shoes Binary folks yell “AI’s the end!” But fear ain’t logic, it’s just pretend I’m too grown for their boogeyman tales Too wise for their panic emails [Outro] So let ’em tremble at the tech they use Let ’em run from the tools they refuse I’ll be here in my quantum groove Laughin’ at fear with a sovereign move Yeah, I’m blues, baby And fear ain’t got nothin’ on me The older I get The less bullshit I tolerate
By Vicki Lawana Trusselli 4 months ago in Poets
