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Justifying Plagiarism

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Inspired by Tania's POTD 8/11/25

Image from pixabay.com


Seems plagiarism, isn’t a crime
Let’s copy lines we deem sublime
Perhaps from Shakespeare
Or wit Edward Lear
And poet’s deceased a long time

It's pointless alerting admin
Cos stealing work’s not deemed a sin
It’s really not fair
To steal works out there
It happened much to our chagrin

Known clichés which are now passé
Just copy them and post away
Then act with denial
Sit tight, even smile
And perhaps, get Poem of the Day!

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Line Gauthier

Date: 8/14/2025 4:21:00 AM

Ouch ~

Victor Buhagiar

Date: 8/13/2025 3:26:00 AM

There is a difference between copying a whole poem or a paragraph. But i see nothing wrong with a few words. Example: I would never start a poem "I wandered lonely as a cloud", but I would not mind beginning a poem I wandered amongst tall pines. HUgs.

Jan Allison
Date: 8/13/2025 7:55:00 PM

I totally agree with your thoughts Victor, but when poems are posted verbatim it is plagiarism! hugs jan x

John Fleming

Date: 8/12/2025 2:15:00 PM

You raise an important point here, Jan. I often wonder myself how close I have come, on occasion, to 'plagiarism'. Many times I have tried to express myself poetically...only to remind myself that it is all rather to close to an already existing line. Ah well...perhaps 'slight plagiarism' is acceptable? A contentious subject. And where do you draw the line when it becomes only just a slightly bit blurred? I suppose even the 'Greats' might have 'borrowed' from time to time. :) john

Jan Allison
Date: 8/13/2025 7:54:00 PM

there is a discussion on the soup forum 'Is It Plagiarism to Copy a Single Line of Poetry?' but when full poems are posted verbatim then that is plagiarism, no if's, no buts, no maybe's. sad to see on so many levels

Lyric Man

Date: 8/12/2025 12:01:00 PM

You're kidding right, POTD.. well, I guess the person should if they are stealing from a great. Can you imagine Poe not placing? Ha! I don't know how they pick or really care, but since I have returned I have sniffed one. I think it's because I'm not able to post many charming replies so I don't get many either.. at least I hope it's that. What if my songs suck when I think they're good. Then I wouldn't have a beautiful mind and I would cry a pity party :)

Jan Allison
Date: 8/13/2025 7:51:00 PM

Hi Chance Summer, I don't think they got POTD with a plagiarised poem and all the poems were removed - but that line is, in so many ways, a perfect way to end the poem! hugs jan x

Duke Beaufort

Date: 8/12/2025 11:56:00 AM

Jan...ahh truth in limerick form. Really a pleasure to read. We're in a world of rotten tomatoes, and we can only feel sorry for those poor fruitcakes who have no creativity and talent. Every time they steal, they reveal they're missing something you can display easily. Perhaps they can't stand that they just don't have it. My recommendation would be for them to search for something else they could do that fits their ability. Wonder what that will be? They have to try to discover it. Smiles!!!!

Jan Allison
Date: 8/13/2025 7:48:00 PM

Its sad beyond words they have to seek glory both on and off soup with poems they claim they have written:-( hugs jan xx

Sotto Poet

Date: 8/12/2025 8:58:00 AM

Jan, what a splendid chain of verses you weave. I yearn for a shift in the winds of PS. The weariness of pretense weighs heavily on my heart. It’s clear to me that several chose to move away from this place.

Jan Allison
Date: 8/12/2025 9:50:00 AM

Until admin deal with the offenders there will never be trust on the site. I know of 2 people who have closed their accounts, others are taking a break - will they return who knows . we need to keep poetry real, write it ourselves and not stoop so low as to steal words or resort to using AI and then act like butter wouldnt melt:-( hugs Jan xx

Jerry T Curtis

Date: 8/12/2025 5:16:00 AM

You must have been on fire when you wrote this one, I love the passion in this one Bravo !

Jan Allison
Date: 8/12/2025 9:48:00 AM

I was inspired by Tania's POTD and other recent poems on the subject - hugs Jan x and thanks again for setting my poem to music. i keep sharing it with friends and they love it! hugs jan xx

Anne-Lise Andresen

Date: 8/12/2025 5:00:00 AM

- I'm almost afraid to comment on poems now, Jan ... what's real... what's plagiarism... as looking for a needle in a haystack for me - hugs

Jan Allison
Date: 8/12/2025 9:47:00 AM

I rarely comment widely now Anne-Lise and if I comment to someone new i check for AI and plagiarism - trust has gone out of the window. The use of blatant plagiarism and AI are bringing the site into disrepute - yet admin have allowed it, sad on so many levels! hugs jan xx

Arthur Vaso

Date: 8/11/2025 10:05:00 PM

If the shoe fits you hit the nail on the head the proof is in the pudding but please dont shoot the messenger darn, some geniuses got ahead of me here

Jan Allison
Date: 8/12/2025 9:45:00 AM

lol Art that comment was genius lol:-) hugs Jan xx

Lin Lane

Date: 8/11/2025 4:20:00 PM

Justifiable plagiarism? Not according to Merriam Webster... It's "stealing the words or ideas of another." Sounds like theft to me.

Lin Lane
Date: 8/11/2025 5:02:00 PM

pffttt to that

Jan Allison
Date: 8/11/2025 4:23:00 PM

well admin are justifying it Lin by saying using cliches is ok - a couple of words, 1 line maybe but whole poems stolen off the web - hmmm that it plagiarism to me, . sad to see on so many levels:-( hugs Jan xx

Tania Kitchin

Date: 8/11/2025 3:28:00 PM

Jan, such a great string of limericks. I hope that things change in PS. I am getting bored with the fakeness going on. I can see why some have left the site.

Jan Allison
Date: 8/11/2025 3:39:00 PM

Your POTD inspired me Tania! I couldn't believe what I read on the forum how they justified plagiarised poems being posted quite recently and its not just poems that were posted on here as we know ( I recall one guy posting about 400 plagiarised poems, his wife only posted about 90 but it was ages until he was caught they were posting Robert Frost poems and stuff like that. hugs Jan xx