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Famous Handcuffs Poems by Famous Poets

These are examples of famous Handcuffs poems written by some of the greatest and most-well-known modern and classical poets. PoetrySoup is a great educational poetry resource of famous handcuffs poems. These examples illustrate what a famous handcuffs poem looks like and its form, scheme, or style (where appropriate).

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by Hardy, Thomas
...before the train came in,-- 
'But I can play my fiddle to you, 
And a nice one 'tis, and good in tone!'

The man in the handcuffs smiled; 
The constable looked, and he smiled too, 
As the fiddle began to twang; 
And the man in the handcuffs suddenly sang 
With grimful glee: 
'This life so free 
Is the thing for me!' 
And the constable smiled, and said no word, 
As if unconscious of what he heard; 
And so they went on till the train came in-- 
The convict, and boy with the vio...Read more of this...



by Derieva, Regina
...rable forest again forest.
And beyond it waste ground,
where a blizzard of snow breaks loose.

The blizzard has handcuffs, and the snow-
storm has a knife which kills at once....
I will die, pay a debt
for others who live somewhere,

out of spite, out of fear and terror,
out of pain, out of a nameless grave....
Beyond the wall another wall,
on the wall stopped dead one sentinel....Read more of this...

by Abani, Chris
..., her pride was masticated like husks
of chewing sticks, spat from morning-rank mouths.

Breaking loose, edge of handcuffs held high
like the blade of a vengeful axe, she runs
across the salt scratch of deck,
pain deeper than the blue inside a flame.


                                  IV

The sound, like the break of bone
could have been the Captain’s skull
or the musket shot dropping her
over the side, her chains wrapped
around his neck in dance....Read more of this...

by Paterson, Andrew Barton
...resist, 
So help me heaven, I'll shoot you dead!" 
He snapped the steel on his prisoner's wrist, 
And Ryan, hearing the handcuffs click, 
Recovered his wits as they turned to go, 
For fright will sober a man as quick 
As all the drugs that the doctors know. 

There was a girl in that shanty bar 
Went by the name of Kate Carew, 
Quiet and shy as the bush girls are, 
But ready-witted and plucky, too. 
She loved this Ryan, or so they say, 
And passing by, while her eyes ...Read more of this...

by Sandburg, Carl
...I AM singing to you
Soft as a man with a dead child speaks;
Hard as a man in handcuffs,
Held where he cannot move:

Under the sun
Are sixteen million men,
Chosen for shining teeth,
Sharp eyes, hard legs,
And a running of young warm blood in their wrists.

And a red juice runs on the green grass;
And a red juice soaks the dark soil.
And the sixteen million are killing. . . and killing
and killing.

I never forg...Read more of this...



by Housman, A E
...Oh who is that young sinner with the handcuffs on his wrists?
And what has he been after that they groan and shake their fists?
And wherefore is he wearing such a conscience-stricken air?
Oh they're taking him to prison for the color of his hair.

'Tis a shame to human nature, such a head of hair as his;
In the good old time 'twas hanging for the color that it is;
Though hanging isn't bad e...Read more of this...

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