Best Disenfranchised Poems
Chains of Colonialism
With guns they came
With whips and chains
Chains to capture the Dark Continent
Chains snaking across Africa
Africa blessed by nature
Africa a precious jewel
Jewel coveted by imperialists
Jewel stained with blood
Blood of the disenfranchised
Blood of innocents
Innocents slaughtered
Innocents subjugated
Subjugated like cattle
Subjugated nonentities
Nonentities to colonial masters
Nonentities bowing to alien flags
Flags of oppression
Flags of exploitation and domination
Domination of inferiors
Domination of natural resources
Resources robbed
Resources nurtured with sweat and tears
Tears of those with no voices
Tears of those whipped and silenced
Silenced by superiority
Silenced by weapons and fear
Fear of foreign invaders
Fear of certain death
Death of ancient civilization
Death of treasured culture
Culture stripped and raped
Culture battered and fragmented
Fragmented destiny
Fragmented people
People crushed to the ground
People with no more sweet songs
Songs of freedom and happier times
Songs of nationalism
Nationalism and solidarity
Nationalism thwarted
Thwarted to divide and conquer
Thwarted to castrate minds and bodies
Bodies chained and beaten
Bodies killed for defiance
Defiance against injustice
Defiance against colonialism
Colonialism in the name of God
Colonialism in the name of kings
Kings
God
05-01-2016
Contest: Dig Deep - Race Relations - Conflicts - Colonialism
Sponsor: Marugo Mo
Placement: 2nd
Categories:
disenfranchised, africa, discrimination, people, racism,
Form:
Blitz
Waft borderless borders;
within;
The dividing line that separates the free
and the slaves;
where strangers come and go
but the cage is never lifted.
Where sticks and stones travel farther,
and idle remains your soul possession;
pocketed,
dispossessed
and disenfranchised.
Standing frozen in the temporal sea,
while global earth spins yonder;
giving birth to a global movement;
devoid of you,
where the shining guards of globalism obstruct your path
and the cage is never lifted.
apartheid in an open prison,
borders without a border,
where freedom is ill defined
and internal struggle
links the spider web without a spider to keep it.
Categories:
disenfranchised, life, people, philosophy, places,
Form:
"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work instead of living on public assistance." Cicero , 55 BC
controversy over government nothing new
Civil War? oxymoron
in a country divided, there is no civility
protestors fume on Wall Street
Tea Partiers toss their caffeine into the mix
Federal Reserve makes unauthorized loans
but to whom we do not know
states debate seceding from the union
families learn to live on budgets
countries spend what they don’t have
why don’t we learn from history?
“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s”
is there anything left for us?
look to Cicero and sages of the past
Plato and Socrates will set the disenfranchised straight too
*Entry for Brian’s “Anywhichway” contest
Categories:
disenfranchised, history, social,
Form:
Free verse
Today someone praised a poem I wrote
It is about considering the disenfranchised
at this supposedly jolly time of year
Why, she said, just think about all in need,
why not spend Christmas with them, she asked
Amazingly enough, that is just what I do,
For you see I am one of the poor and disabled
whose SSD checks just do not stretch to month's end
All who live in my building experience much the same,
depending on food boxes and the generosity of others
We come in all types and sorts, full of warts and woes
Mental illness has felled a number of us terribly
They closed the hospitals and mental facilities
Just can't afford them, government says, so out
they were tossed roam the streets, incapable and lost
Poor choices plagued many tender, women who loved,
or thought they did, men who beat and burned them,
took their money and left them ill and unable to fight
Years of abuse, wisdom awakened, years more to heal
to even a bare minimum of capability to survive
So, dear tender lady, with heart of gold, trust when I say
I live with the broken and poor and lonely each day
Categories:
disenfranchised, analogy, culture, writing,
Form:
Blank verse
It is a tree of five hundred one and twenty different fruits
with nine others totally disenfranchised
in a garden of more than a colour of grapes
a black bunch out of every five same
is its numerical contribution in such defined location
A flowing stream, originating from the Nok aboriginals
has created different hundreds of tributaries
in its inland is a town where fertility is ambidextrous
and the most diversified of the colourful flying beauties
is found within its territory
A family possessing envious wealth but seemingly a myth
b’cos of the Mephistophelian deeds of its guardians
its house, built on land where toothpick germinates to a monstrous tree
and man power capable of producing half a continent of sky scrapers
yet six out of every ten of its members
are less comfortable than a pet in the west
Categories:
disenfranchised, black african american, education,
Form:
Ode
(Maverick Free Verse about a true life Maverick)
hey, Mr. Editor, you got it wrong
labeling Allen West as Congress’s “Most Vulnerable”
misnomer
insult to his character
ambush of American troops planned
Colonel West fired shots near an Iraqi prisoner’s head
information obtained, ambush prevented
no blood shed, not even the prisoner’s
thankless military bureaucracy
forced him to retire
Colonel West proclaimed,
“The battlefield’s no place for political correctness”
“Don’t blow sunshine up my butt,”
Maverick West warned, standing his ground
refused to march
to a “Machiavellian Kumbaya”
had he been a West Point grad
West would have been promoted
adorned with medals
accolades for soldiers saved
soldier’s mother spoke out; see it her way
“I hope my son’s commanders protect him as Allen did”
behind a shield of political ties
Allen never hides
in a Democratic district this Tea Partier rose
disenfranchised Americans cheered
do you think West deserves
beatings from the press
watch your “Most Vulnerable”
rise to prominence
if this hero hasn’t earned his seat in Congress
Mr. Editor, tell me who has
* Allen West represents the Tampa area of Florida in the U.S. Congress.
In 2003, when West was a battalion commander in Taji, Iraq, he fired his weapon
near the head of a prisoner to frighten the detainee into divulging information about
a planned ambush. The detainee started providing information and the ambush of
American soldiers was prevented. West was removed from command and the Army
considered a court martial. West argued he acted to save his troops, was fined
$5,000, but was allowed to retire with full honors and benefits.
Categories:
disenfranchised, people, warpolitical,
Form:
Free verse
Pushed to the edge by reality, yes, these verses will stifle.
A revolving door always present; New York City....Vicious Cycle.
This is a poem about the hardships, and monotony of this age
The world unchanging in its essence....many problems to assuage.
Why is our purlieu in such predicaments, the morass so intense?
It seems the fire has been extinguished; in other words we've acquiesced.
Hallways, alleys, subway stations/where the weak and troubled roam.
Considered dross by our society, that's why the streets became their home.
Our youth in dire straits, how can they be redeemed?
High school dropouts, teenage suicide, and for meth my brothers fiend.
Homeless people are anathema; we seldom love the poor…
New York City...Vicious Cycle....where daily living is abhorred.
A nimbus cloud, can't see the acme/ Where Then Can Love Be Found?
The cacophony breaks the silence; the voice of weeping does resound.
Welfare parents in a quandary, just barely scraping by.
Elderly people doing no better...though receiving S.S.I.
New York City....Vicious Cycle, spreading like a deadly cancer.
Minority children disenfranchised; drug dealing is their answer.
Boys and girls, young and pretty/ jailbait, nowhere to run.
A perfect target for a pedophile; their tender lives have just begun.
Dark specters in every borough; people lost and living trifle.
Eight million stories, naked truth...New York City...Vicious Cycle.
Categories:
disenfranchised, abuse, addiction, innocence, new
Form:
Couplet
Everyone is searching for answers in the midst of current tragedies
Two unarmed black men and five white cops gunned down mercilessly
Black in Americans are incensed over the slaying of so many black men
But the answer is not the killing of white cops to make it even
Yet there is very little sympathy or justice when a black man is slayed
But if a white cop is shot a social uproar is on full display
Dear America I need you to comprehend it's about the economy
As there's not enough to go around for the majority
The economical and political climate of Jesus's time is just like today
Where the poor and downtrodden are hopeless, harassed and totally dismayed
The system then and the system now continues to perpetrate
A class of low income and disenfranchised who can never formulate
A means to attain any kind of status or develop any wealth
Living in substandard conditions which affects their self worth
Oppressed, depressed and totally distressed
Never to ever experience any form of progress
And until there is progress for all there will be economic strife
And until there is true equality there will be no peace in life
We need to address the ideology that systemically demonizes
And remember America was founded with violence and needs to realize
That African Americans will no longer sit quietly
and see our people be killed everyday
No justice, no peace and we will have our say
We are all children of the most high God
He loves us all and has us in His heart
You are no better than me and I'm no better than you
And the color of our skin doesn't make that less true
Dear America I hope you come to comprehend and understand
That all lives do matter be you a Caucasian or a Black man
Dear America we need to be like Jesus and have true compassion
With a desire to make positive change its time to take action
Dear America I need you to open your eyes and truly see
That there is no more plantation occupancy
Black Americans are now educated and many economically sound
We are no longer your property so stop trying to tear us down
We are more than conquerors we are survivors
and we claim the victory
Its time for you to let go of that slave owner mentality
Categories:
disenfranchised, america, black african american,
Form:
Dramatic Monologue
Oh, how should I explain to a blind man,
what it's like to be blue?
or what the sky is like
what it is to be true?
Oh, how do I profess to a deaf child,
feel the music so strong?
the miracle of five,
people playing one song?
Oh, how am I to preach to the heartless,
the sanctity of love?
How to tell the difference,
love or the loss thereof.
What can I say to the disenfranchised,
of the wealth they possess?
Just trying to get by
they need only confess.
What can I say to the sighted it seems,
how they are truly blind?
or that they cannot see
the truth they leave behind.
What to tell the nonbelievers below
of the man up above
Who want only one thing
to give us all His love.
What alibi do I give to profess,
that I will commission
That miracle itself
is that He has risen.
Categories:
disenfranchised, bible, christian, deep, faith,
Form:
Free verse
I’m calling you out!
Many ‘came and went,’ but after George Floyd, I thought it was done;
Now, two more possibly got hanged, and another, shot with a gun.
‘Black disrespect’ is real! In the midst of protesting over the same;
These ‘white’ cops perpetrated this undeniably racist act once again.
I couldn’t believe it; their actions were, brazen, brash and so blatant;
What about the ‘moot’ “Protect and Serve,” despicable public servant.
What is this grievous genocidal trend – when will this nightmare end?
How long will we be brutally broken – until there’s nothing left to mend?
Imagine; I quote; “You scared me man, because you were sleeping in the car;”
As an appropriate and valid reason or excuse; that is fetched way too far.
The suspect is drunk; scuffled with the cops and then fled from them terrified;
Then, the ‘scared’ cops shot Rayshard Brooks; and this deadly act they justified.
Every good citizen; as well as, criminals have Rights, under the Constitution;
Unfortunately, ‘Blacks’ are not rendered those rights; and it’s no new revelation.
So, when!?! When will the infringement on our rights be rectified, with equity?
Whom!?! Who will be bold enough to willfully act and change this travesty?
End
By: Dion Penville
Categories:
disenfranchised, anger, conflict, discrimination,
Form:
Rhyme
It has been twelve years
Every one of those years
I have been turned away
by officials of the city
Twelve long years
of being on the housing waiting list
Being the only breadwinner
Times got tougher
To my children I imagine
that to them
I am a failure in many ways
No where for me to seek refuge
The only way is inside my head could convince me otherwise
What do you say to a
man living with cerebral palsy?
Who has to proof himself on all fronts
Spiritually it becomes draining
in a one room flat
He becomes out of touch
with those immediate loved ones
Wife then kids or vice versa
All freedoms are compromised
Specially the kids
As a physical impaired man
I am not much affected
Considering my boarding school days
It becomes tough
when it is an all female club
And I am the only male
and physically impaired
Mentally the impact takes its toll
There is a heaviness within me
I cannot seem to find an outlet
That's why I'm living on a page
Out of control
I wear this crown of thorns
Upon my liars chair
Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
If you see me smiling
It is a front
this is how I deal with my pain
Many second job attempts fail
I am beginning to doubt myself
I sometimes stare at myself in the mirror
My wife's take on it
is that I am full of myself
That may be the case
It runs much deeper than that
Maybe I am taking her
too much along with me
But I can't help it we are close knit family
The Lord has blessed me
With three daughters
They could write
a book about me
one day if they are aspiring authors
along with my wife as their editor
Poetry is my only sanctuary
My world in black and white
I silently wish for all those material things
Things that is out my grasp of understanding
Why some of us
gets it easy and others hard
Is there a lesson
to us that are disenfranchised
or are we nearing our expiry date?
Hey, it is just a thought
along with my perception of things
Who gets to build us up?
When you hit rock bottom
What is the bottom line?
What if we get to that helpline too late?
What will they say in your obituary
Were you worthwhile living with
Or were you known to be a prick
Only time will tell
Poetry is my only sanctuary
My world in black and white
Categories:
disenfranchised, anger, art, betrayal, change,
Form:
Dramatic Monologue
It's another Saturday night
ending this week
as started
alone again.
I came here
almost two years ago
to my retirement hermitage
but oddly,
and often uncomfortably,
shared with my hurt kids,
mental and physical illness
adopted and then adapted;
an asylum for the perpetually incontinent.
Cars pass by.
Sometimes a loud motorcycle
or two or three or four
or even more
here on the southern boundary
of a county seat
in a State
where rural counties
have been disenfranchised
of political purpose.
Our largest employers
are two tribally owned casinos.
One across the Thames River
flowing past our backyard retreat.
Our second largest income producer
may be the County Courthouse
where attorneys and police
collude to extort voluntary donations
from poor young adults
red and yellow,
black and white,
guilty of speeding
and texting
and smoking medicine
without a license
in Great White Father's sight.
I have been listening and watching
for what this half acre is.
We are not as rural as I had hoped,
with State highway 12 too near my front yard,
but this place is also not urban
or suburban.
What it is not,
whom we are not,
seems more clearly articulated
than any positive definition,
refining our becoming quiet place,
alone together,
shunned by healthier neighbors.
It's another lonely ending
anticipating yet another not new beginning
tomorrows stretching out alone
long retiring shadows
on this southern edge
of a Connecticut County Seat
without apparent purpose
or co-defining meaning.
Categories:
disenfranchised, age, health, loneliness, meaningful,
Form:
Prose Poetry
By The Lady’s Dim Light
The Lady’s blazing torch held high and message at her feet,
Clear message to the world, tyranny’s ultimate defeat.
Ascent to breathe the fresh air of liberty’s atmosphere,
Free every day, speak own mind, go anywhere, void of fear.
Peoples of all nations and races, with aspirations all,
From lands near and far in answer to freedoms call.
Persecution’s iron fist powerless toward all who yearn
To come; tired, poor, wretched refuse; no one is spurned.
High ideal that should work with fairness and justice for all.
Not when matters get entangled in politicians’ halls.
It’s not what you know but who you know that catches the ear.
Some get in very fast, while many wait year after year.
The Lady’s Lamp is supposed to be the beam to the world,
America’s message of help, hope and home eagerly heard.
But if the world’s disenfranchised are treated as blight,
The masses will huddle and wait in the Lady’s dim light.
Categories:
disenfranchised, america, betrayal, character, history,
Form:
Didactic
Rainbow coloured camouflage
The rainbow whispered “look at me I am a cameo in abused disguise”.
"You are a beautiful mean to an end, a pot of gold awaiting where you
touch the horizon, elusive no doubt but tangible in dreams and in wishes”.
‘Faruq’ true to his name, the one who distinguishes truth from all falsehood,
vowed to ‘Nahla’, or the drink of water, to be with her forever come rain
or shine, when the Bedouins halted for their wedding under thorn’s holy arbor.
“There will be moist earth under the sacred tree”, promised the shaman,
drank potions from ‘Ausaj’, danced, convulsed and exulted as everyone gathered
under the ‘Sdir’ tree with the promise of sustenance and children from heaven.
It was a monkey’s wedding, glistening sun combined with sprinkles of drizzle,
but the rainbow forgot that camels and goats don’t mix with mischief-makers,
imported from modern changes of climate, greed, power and destruction.
“I have been camouflaged, misconstrued, disenfranchised, seven beautiful colours exuding disaster”. “No, you have your rightful place under the skies, warmongering nations ignore you, they exploit the fruits of the desert, relish oil of demise”.
Ear-piercing storms erupted and lightening ensued with full thunderous wrath and
the tree of life got splintered and divided, ancient reality was crushed under modern delusion.
‘Faruq’ and ‘Nahla’ could not believe that their short marriage was over, they joined their ancestors, struck by the rainbow, who had masked the power of drowning waters, looked helplessly on.
Meanwhile tanks, constructed and draped in seven deadly sins, kept their tracks
in the quick sand of glory, deceit and rape of the planet, full,evil steam ahead.
“I feel so guilty”, uttered the rainbow, “I could not display my true colours”, but the wind and the Gods replied “Not your fault, do not take the blame, when gold turns to tar”.
Categories:
disenfranchised, bridal shower, wedding,
Form:
Narrative
A random act of kindness, very rarely do we see.
The new day has a blindness to an urgency decree.
It’s not that we would fail to help, there’s purity of heart.
Our eyes neglect to see the need that’s calling for our part.
Deeply lost we are focused far ahead within our minds,
so very far ahead that we mislay the present times.
A random act of kindness, you'll find it makes you feel so good.
Treat the sick and disenfranchised in ways we know we should.
We often say it's not our call to help out those in need.
In momentary acts you have the chance to take the lead.
However these are times that just grow colder with each day.
Be thankful if a random act of kindness comes your way.
STRAND SELECT N
Sponsor, Brian Strand
Categories:
disenfranchised, perspective,
Form:
Couplet