Illiteracy Poems | Examples

To My Ex-Husband: I Was Fluent in What Failed Us

I missed the window of my telling
you who you are. My greatest
talent, f*cked too thin to mend,
or maim when it mattered most.

I’m not mad anymore, just sifting
through the wreckage of my gift—
this heft of language, all I ever said,
only salve on hand to save us, too often 
out of stock.

Words flawless on paper, I fell limp
spilling from a broken mouth.
Throwing spells at your functional illiteracy,
believing an explanation could level 
our podium standings, but it never did.

I never do.
Even though I’m perfect on paper.

You never do what I want, either.
Imagining Sisyphus content
was the death of us.
And we have died nine million times
attempting the trick of it—
a compromise so smug, filled with hubris
enough to spare every kind, 
every one of us, where no one dies,
unless that’s how they wanted
their story to end. 

Our story is ending. 
What else is there?

A rock and a hill, a present mishandled 
until it becomes a burden. 
Until we've learned the weight of words 
won’t hold us, slip, slipping away 
again and again, and I’m there
hauling myself through the unwritten 
spaces you didn't even notice, you left.

Threat To Democracy

"THREAT TO DEMOCRACY"

Democracy has a different meaning 
It depends on where you are leaning 
There's always a cost for freedom 
Your price is based on what you want to pay 

People generally take life for granted 
Never realizing that it's democracy
People should be gracious and show gratitude
The guidance and direction is the latitude 

Your political stripes doesn't matter
Or will you simply say, pitter patter
If we lose our right to democracy 
We will be at the mercy of a Dictator

Banning books and protecting crooks
Believe it or not, heading towards a government, one size fits all
Minority rules the majority, how does that make sense
People undecided on how to vote, stradling the fence

Making America great again, what a joke
Understand what's at stake and let them know that you spoke
Voice your concerns, using the ballot box to leave your vote 
Things you take for granted, will no longer exist in this episode

The threat to democracy
Is accepting an autocracy
Idiocy, hipocrisy, conspiracy, illiteracy
The threat to democracy

Written by Floyd Neal
May 16, 2024
Inspiration for poem
A divided country

Poetic Apocalypse

It's the apocalypse of the antipoetic,
some are apoplectic, instead of apologetic,
this is no diplomatic 'dead poet's society',
but the anxiety results in notoriety,
increasing dubiety for word weaving variety.
The grammar police pursue like the four horsemen,
trying to silence my poetic garden's endorphins.
Pouring petrol upon my enchanted petals,
burning the rain, before sweet petrichor settles,
so onyx skies, thundering cries and lullabies,
slay my sentiments like premature butterflies.
Where is my dark angel friend to protect my quill,
before I double down on poetic forms against free will.
When creativity is silenced it's a suicide of speech,
a hypocritical rhetoric is not what hallowed halls teach.
Wizardry of words have no hoodoo or voodoo on your muse,
write about love's labyrinth, rage or life in a way you choose.
Beauty of poetry lies in the eye of the beholder,
poems that merge in harmony bring the rat race closer.
Outside the winds of illiteracy, words want to be free,
to release ink, until your heart's last stand - that's poetry!

Naked Robbery

Classes on tranny and ***** diversity
    universities reek of perversity

  Discrimination abounds all around
    save if your skin's black or brown

  Tuition hikes obscene, naked robbery
    flaunt luxury dorms and diners, effete snobbery

  Not a smidgen on learning or teaching in glittering reports
    just facilities upgrades, data analytics in sports

  Grade inflation boosts illiteracy ever higher
    agree or disagree ~ at least I'm no liar

Dissecting Preamble

Here comes the era of war and hatred,
No religion is anymore sacred.

Once innocent as a child nation,
Is now a stair to molestation and discrimination.

Black or white, we are one,
Born under the same bright sun.

Unpleasant touch like that of a crawling snake,
Comes to you showing love so fake.

Let misogyny and patriarchy be crushed,
Bruised, burned and let’s get ashes flushed.

Where the illiteracy and poverty count increases,
They are busy building masterpieces.

Many Lakshmi’s still gasp for equality,
But are looked down like a mere commodity.

Let’s go back to Golden age,
And repeat history with a blank new page.

Let's Learn

Maybe what’s good is not my saying
But what I said is not bad

I can write; I can do
I can confess; I can avoid

What I ignore is not for my ignorance
What I cannot learn is not for illiteracy 

Life is the name of struggle on the earth
But death is what I need to be learned!

I do not know what I do not believe
I do not know where I do not reside
I do not know what I did not still learn
But if I believed, resided, learned I knew all!

Of new and continuous new
I need to learn before judgments

Of old and oldest ancient
I need to swap myself to the point before verdicts

In front of learning 
Judgments and verdicts are invalid discussion 


Political, social, economic, religion, caste and racial power
All are not the power of knowledge!

Continuous learning is knowledge
And knowledge that has been implemented is wisdom

In the practical life people know best
What is good and what is bad

But regarding the practice of beliefs, nations, countries
I need to continuous learning 

Just learn, learn constant and let me learn
Before making you the subject of fun


© Mahtab Bangalee
Chattogram
02/11/2022

The Prodigals Have Returned

Hey!
The prodigals have returned.
The one we entrusted with our wealth.
The custodians of the granary keys.
They are here again.

Five years ago,
We sent them to legislate for us.
Very angelic they were.
Very blameless they appeared.
The prodiglas have returned.

Overseas they have been.
Offshore accounts they've created.
Their lifestyles lucrative.
Very egocentric they are.

The roads they promised to improve.
Till dystopic.
Bursaries in their accounts.
As our children languish in illiteracy.
Their son and daughters graduates.
Ambassadors and high officials they are.

The prodiglas have returned.
To persuade us into voting for them.
With incentives they have come.
Sweet words they have.
Very seductive they are.
The prodigals have returned.

@ Tha Formidable Cheru.

Access To Diabetes Care: Wdd 2021:

In this era of Covid scare,
Where human interactions are so rare.
Much time on gadgets to spare,
Poor patients’ plight, no one to care.
Poverty, illiteracy & poor health care,
These issues need to be addressed fair & square. 
Diabetes, a problem, leaving no organ to spare,
Asking for urgent,united efforts, so that ‘it gets rare’.
It’s the physician’s commitment, compassion & care.
That the patients feel at home & their worries are 
no-where !
Screening for glucose control & if diabetes complications are there.
Giving them more time & attention, should be our everyday affair.
No matter, brittle is diabetes with many a sequelae out there ?
Folks with diabetes,need encouragement, confidence & optimal care.
There is always a silver lining in dark clouds everywhere.
To our patients we resolve, trying easy access to diabetes care.

Ignorance

Who can bear
a trouble of another?
but the ignorant
impose that by leading people to accept their whim and trouble
because that is only what they
can muster to the world
if it is a lie
why, why, why,
why is abortion, stealing and corruption
why, why, why,
why is clash, conflict and war
why, why, why,
why is family problem, cheating and unknown killing
why, why, why,
why is truancy, dropout and illiteracy
why, why, why,
why is selfishness, ego and atheism
if it is a lie
why, why, why,
why is cultism, bribery and tribalism
if it is a lie
why, why, why,
why there is a house
built for prostitution
why, why, why,
why there is a house
built for drinking and gambling
if it is a lie
why, why, why,
why there is a house
built for magic, witchcraft and unknown immolation
if it is a lie
why, why, why,
why there is slavery and colonisation
if it is a lie
why, why, why
why the same trouble marker
will suspect and hang his trouble
to an innocent
I knew something dark
yet it is what is to be
morked through.

Wrongs

“Wrongs”
A million feet marching
A million feet bleeding
A million feet searching

Marching for life
Bleeding from war
Searching for beds

What is this for?
They have nothing left
Why did they lose?               

The sun no longer shines
There are earthquakes, floods and fires.
There are wars, crime and hate
A million feet marching

The sky no longer bright
There is drought, pestilence, and starvation
There is sickness, illiteracy and poverty 
A million feet bleeding

No stars in the night
There is politics, greed and wealth
There is abuse, disease and deadly shots in the dark
A million feet searching

There is.............
$200,000,000 on a space flight of four

There could be..............
$20,000 each to 10,000 under a bridge in Del Rio 

Is there anything wrong 
With this picture?
How insanely stupid are we?

Future Leaders

Boy: When I grow,
I want to be a Leader
Bring positive change,
And cancel the mindset of corruption;
Education shall be my priority,
As the illiteracy rate shall drop.

Girl: When I grow,
Roads connectivity shall be my focus
From interior to city shall be paved,
As citizens shall enjoy the facility of electricity.
The poverty rate shall drop,
People shall live in sincere harmony;
Injustice is not acceptable,
Anyone found guilty with unique evidence,
Shall be imprisoned for ten years.

Boy: When I shall grow,
I want to be a Leader
The motive of "I, me and myself,"
Shall come to an end.
Citizens shall enjoy every milk and honey
We will not even need gunmen on streets,
Switzerland shall be our example,
As Israel shall be our role model in "giving".

Girl: When I grow,
I want to be a Leader
The "Open Door Policy" shall be reborn;
All leaders children shall attend Public school,
As taxes on citizens will decrease.
Poor shall have absolute right!

If God Was a Nigerian

If God was a Nigerian

He will live on less than $1.90 per day
While animals, richer, from swallowed millions
He will read about bullion vans in Bourdillon
Or a looter's jewellery worth paying pension
While poverty spank his ass dry

He will mop his sweat under the sun
Voting a 'wheelbarrow empowerment' governor
Or 'Peter the Rock' that dries up accounts
While their aza swell like neglected corpse

He will see the bruised roads in Nigeria
Hospitals with incurable illness 
Or sick schools diagnosed with illiteracy
Why? Their allocation ruthlessly pilfered

He will watch clips of a human-bullion van, 
Desecrating his babanriga with dollars
And wrestle impurities in the state.

He would have been a poor Nigerian 
like my dad or the king of thieves 
Like Olusegun Obasanjo

Rip the Glass Ceiling

Social evolution invented down the line
selective and complex, customs skewed,
placing men in the lead, women behind,
for they are deemed the weaker gender,
born unequal in the nonpartisan world 
under blue sky of freedom made for all,
to obey silently all the time, subjugated.

As the dark clouds of imposed illiteracy 
and obdurate poverty drift slowly away,
the aspiration sun shines equally above 
with rainbow hued dreams for humanity,
and as the archaic social norms discarded
crumble in the egalitarian cauldron of time, 
women see the light of liberation flicker
at the end of the ancient tunnel dark.

It’s time for the tenets of human right  
to redesign now the social fabric frayed.
Let not the gender divide asymmetrically 
the open opportunities and obligations.
Let the women’s captive essence becomes
free to reach the heights where men are,
consciously ripping the glass ceiling contrived.

June 28, 2021
Contest : Let Er Rip #3
Sponsor : John Lawless

Old Glory's Story

Old Glory's 
  sad story:

Flags did wave
  over slaves

Abe Lincoln freed 'em
  South wouldn't heed him

In the year of the Lord, 1955
  in the City of Houston, to my surprise

Signs read: 'No jews, blacks or dogs allowed'
  Read 'em and cried with my own eyes

2013 in Washington D.C.
  nearly 20% black illiteracy

When Confederate Flags today yet fly
  'Old Glory's Story' is somehow awry

Hard To Believe

Trusting almost got me killed,
Love hurts more than I can imagine,
And being real still got me hated.

The street has never been rosy,
The potbellied men got money for election malpractices
But can't feed the poor masses.

Today they supply us with guns,
Tomorrow they expect assassination,
Why should I kill my brothers?
When I have illiteracy, poverty, lack and tribalism to murder.

The older I get,
The more I understand that it's okay to live a life others don't understand.
If words don't add up,
It's usually because the truth wasn't included in the equation,
This might be the lie through which I tell you the truth.

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