We’ve reached a point
Where simple words now trigger reactions
Completely devoid of meaning.
I won’t share some of those words now
Because they might trigger you
Or for sure the censor bots
Who patrol the web.
But we can all imagine a few,
Words and symbols which once had use
Rich in context and meaning
But then were perverted
In the name of some now canceled cause.
Of course there are many more causes
Waiting to be cancelled
So soon all descriptive terms and symbols
Will no longer exist to trigger the easily disturbed.
When that day comes
We will be reduced to composing in code
Numbers in combinations of aughts and ones
But then again,
That primary binary basis of reality
Will no doubt trigger us too.
And then we will be left
In silent pantomime of our truths
Reality reduced at last
To the charade it has become.
(9/2/26)
There is no censorship in the night
Where dreams come and go
Censorship kills the dream
And leaves you laying in the dark
Staring at the ceiling
Wondering how to get back again
And make it right.
By day, by contrast
The conscious mind is in control
Pushing down and repressing
All that whips up the wind
And ruffles the feathers
Causing it to submerge and morph and grow
To emerge again unbidden in the night.
(7/25/26)
The censorship
Who would have guessed that X should
practice censorship, but it does
A person called Tommy Robertson has
been giving free rein to spew out his
hatred of migrants, mainly from Muslim countries
countries
In Tommy's mind, every migrant is a rapist
He hammers nonstop about the crime
they commit
One understands that the mass migration of
Poor people from Muslim countries are
a problem, caused by politicians, that
have not reduced the inflow, it is not the
migrants per se
Tommy Robertson is a vulgar agitator
who has been giving free rain on X to
to spew his hatred, to the point of defending
Israel's atrocities in Gaza and the West Bank
In Tommy's mind, a good Arab is a dead one
I have tried to be critical of him
But what I write is being censored
None of my criticisms of Tommy Robertson
Once they are published, they disappear
before the ink is dry
One has also noticed that George Galloway
are not saying anything critical, wanting
to keep his audience on X,
In a world where you have to watch your back
Unable to tell friend from foe
Tiptoeing around the big issues
Until you are sure it’s safe
To let your guard down
The easier path is to simply shut up.
And in our silence our isolation grows.
When you get censored, or censor others
You also start to censor yourself
Not wanting to make waves
Destroy relationships, threaten jobs and reputations.
And when you censor yourself
Pretty soon you don’t even think anymore
Outside the box, with its velvet padded lining.
Pretty soon the world we live - in and out -
Is reduced to silence
And then it doesn’t matter much
What the box is lined in.
(10/16/25)
Allow yourself to go
beyond numbing disappointment
and put words to how you feel
Stop brushing everything aside like nothing matters
Bring your emotions out in daylight
Don’t hide and gloss them over ~ analyze them
Do away with self censorship
Dig deeper ~ know you’re entitled
to feelings and to express them
No longer silence the inner child
who gets offended and wants to cry
Be its champion ~ let it speak up and be heard
Feelings are what allows you to
explore the why of who you are
Expressing feelings is what helps
connect with others through understanding
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
The red pen hovers like a hawk,
its beak sharp with erasure.
Words are stripped of their fever,
left pale, bloodless, trembling.
A thought, once naked,
is swaddled in gauze—
so the wound won’t offend.
The page shivers in silence.
I watch my tongue,
tethered in the mouth’s dark stall.
A candle tries to speak in flame,
but the wax floods its throat.
Behind the curtain,
the truth grows mildew,
while the official story
shines like polished bone.
Pundits preachers politicians
you may see
attorneys too
and even agree with me
I think you'll find
all have an agenda
with an axe to grind
lining their pockets
feathering their nest
keeping their cards
close to the chest
saying one thing
doing another
I'd take 'em out and shoot 'em
if I had my druthers
and then there's censorship
where one man's word rules the roost
to remain silent would be
a gag order self-induced
Bricusse and Newley had it right
when they wisely wrote
'Stop the world, I want to get off!'
a verbatim quote
For talking too much in class, we've buttoned your lip.
If the teacher does ask you to talk, here is a little tip.
You unbutton your lip just like a button on your shirt.
The first few times, you may feel a little hurt.
So be gentle, so your lip ~ doesn't rip.
Melanin
Underestimated
Some celebrated
Interesting
Censorship
12/22/2023
In the softest, snowflaked, winter moonlight she walks
The townspeople peered out their frosted windows fora
chance peak.
Not a precious feather moves, and she is not stalked.
All knew not to mess with her, for she is their hope and
not a town freak!
Rebelloisuness courses through her throbbing, silent.
robust veins.
She dreams of a world in peace, free of all govermental
intervention .
A must,is that, on any writer, forbidden foreever, any
attempt to dare their pen to restrain,
Streets for all, to walk without dark fear, a world sparkling
with open, jubilant communication!
Silenced voices, feared by those in power.
Utopia sought, only dystopia flowers.
Protect all speech, diverse and free.
Perception leads to a society that is truly.
Redeemed expression, a beacon bright.
Escorting us through the darkest nights.
Silenced speech, we've lost our way.
Shaping the fascists we sought to slay.
Bill Shakespeare is wanted for hate speech,
His study’s surrounded with tape.
The local police were slow to react,
He may already have made his escape.
There’s a chance that he’s gone into hiding
To work on the draft of a play;
Anne Hathaway helps with enquiries:
Where’s old Bill? She’s refusing to say.
She cannot abide the intrusion,
As detectives examine each sonnet,
If she pops down the market she wears a dark cape
And hides her face under a bonnet.
She’s missing the warmth of her husband,
His sensitive hands and dark beard.
She hopes that they’ll soon be together
But meanwhile, her dear Bill’s disappeared.
And Bill’s understandably nervous
’Cause writing these plays is quite hard.
He enjoys married life with his beautiful wife
And his neighbours now call him “The Bard.”
The risks of a long legal battle
Could distract him for over a year,
If the courts rule against his linguistics,
That might end his productive career.
This poem references the emotions of fear, hope and love now that historic scripts are frequently re-appraised - and sometimes condemned - against modern norms and expectations.
Call it what you will,
even though you’re not supposed to;
Now we think it’s ok to stay quiet?
Shut your mouth but I won’t stay silent;
Out of options to remain out of control,
right now that’s what we need more of;
Sit back follow a train off the tracks;
Hop on follow the jet set,
instigating a riot of silence
poised for the loudest defeat.
It's an all expense paid trip, you know?
Until you decide, you won't bow to the
government freak show.
Facebook, Twitter, and other associated
BIG tech sisters and brothers...
Ban some for life, and block comments
especially from Conservative others.
On sites, yes, you will be punished brutally,
as well.
Yes, you able-poet, banished, like a creepy
leper from hell.
How dare you not want the vaccination?
It's free, you fool, in this censorship nation!
Just make believe free speech is now gone?
Only sing of flowers and humor, anything else
is wrong?
Poetry, the last chance to tell any truth.
Must be in-line with rotting governments,
or, in a pile of old phone booths.
Covid has made minds fearful of any free thinking.
You'd better write only humor, or you are thrown
overboard and are sinking!
Poets who know we are all being scammed?
I have seen them brutally treated or their poetry
avioded or unread, as if it were useless spam!
5/6/2021
~4~
...“And this one thinks policemen
should be respected, not cowed.”
“Cancel him! Yes, cancel him!”
came some voices from the crowd.
“And this one thinks that statues
should be studied, and allowed.”
“Cancel him! Yes, cancel him!”
came a lone voice from the crowd.
“This guy thinks there’s two sexes,
and he says this crap out loud!”
But strangely he heard nothing,
no voices from the crowd.
At this the man looked up and
saw none standing on the ground,
everyone had been cancelled,
there no longer was a crowd.
Death and silence ruled the town…
Sub Categories
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.