Free will is a choice: to yield or to strive.
It rewards the decision, solidifying the path: to yield or to strive.
God bestowed this on us all, yet we call Him a tyrant
because it feels unfair to have only two choices.
Our lives are not ushered by hollow guarantees.
We are granted a gift—of necessary choices.
Yet we stumble in the dark, following our own hearts—
knowing they can err, misled by our own impulses.
But beneath the mistakes, a quiet awareness remains—
pure, simple, and formless.
That is where the search ends, and where humanity finds peace.
So, the question remains: How will you decide?
Worst verse
The Circular Tyrant Above My Bed
The circular tyrant above my bed,
Ticks from dawn till I wish I was dead.
The clock laughs like a joker on the wall,
I can’t get rid of this clumsy fellow at all.
Hammer of time, smashing my dreams flat,
Pressure cooker tick-tock, imagine that!
Effervescent minutes, transcendental shock,
Turn my pizza dreams to wall clock block.
Chili sauce thoughts drip down the wall,
Why did some genius invent this thing at all?
It runs like a marathon, no rest, no pause,
My sleep is murdered, give applause, applause!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There once was a squirrel named Tyron,
the Tire Swing Tyrant—his ire on
full display if you dared
to approach (he’d stand, glared),
then pelt you with acorns like iron.
His kingdom? A maple tree’s shade,
where trespassers trembled, dismayed.
Kids tiptoed in fear,
but old Mrs. O’Sheer
just laughed, tossed him peanuts—he stayed.
A truce? No, a trade, it was clear:
her yard safe, his ego sincere.
Now Tyron rules proud,
though occasionally cowed
when the neighbor’s tomcat slinks near.
The land of the brave and home of the free,
Suffers at the hands of small-minded men;
Stand against the tyrant, never take a knee.
Have faith in your fellow man, stand with me,
Defend our Rights against federal sin;
The land of the brave and home of the free.
We’ll not last without the Liberty Tree,
Time grows short, and opportunity thin;
Stand against the tyrant, never take a knee.
Proclaim anew with bold voice our unity,
And push back against the threat from within;
The land of the brave and home of the free.
So, join hands from sea to shining sea,
Be faithful and strong until we shall win;
Stand against the tyrant, never take a knee.
The Constitution says how it must be,
Take heed and now let freedom ring again;
The land of the brave and home of the free,
Stand against the tyrant, never take a knee.
The tyrant in great malice without cease
Intent on self-serving crimes and hate
Hides his spreading fraud
And makes infernal noise
Seem like a Spring of peace.
Under the protection of his sword
Godless violence
Is made to seem like comfortable civil change
And in confusion lie and ruin
Bring all unbounded power
Unto himself arrange
No trumpet blew, yet thunder came,
From streets once hushed, now lit with flame.
A tyrant's crown was cast away,
By barefoot hearts who dared to stay.
A tyrant, though he’s feared, he also fears:
A symmetry of horror unites them all.
Unleashed, a dragon that forever nears,
And he, as all the rest, it soon may maul.
A tyrant rides a tiger, yet he knows
It is not love that keeps him in that place;
And that which comes, it just as swiftly goes;
The claws of retribution can he face.
A tyrant may have had a better course
In selling shirts upon a dusty street;
Immersed in simple love, and not in force,
With friends around him, children at his feet.
The vacant glamor of a wretched life,
Forever fearing for a sudden knife.
be...
in charge
of...the playground now...
and...cries "it's my ball"...
threats
to...
all...
in range
of...a spoiled childs cries...
any good job i ever worked had its
applicant tests for such as relevant
personality and intellectual traits,
technical experience and knowledge
t-rumps's only test was of his greed and bull levels
len
Sic semper tyrannis thus always to tyrants. Rebel rebel rebel ! Storms of rebellion topple his brutal regime capture the capital, Damascus liberation celebration. His brutal regime…millions fled for their lives while squashed beneath his iron fist thousands flee who stood by him as his subject's writhe and perish ‘neath chemicals unleashed. Luxury, an extensive car collection rarest of Ferrari’s, Lamborghini Diablo and Rolls-Royce there in his obscenely opulent palace while nine out of ten live in destitute fleet discovered models of his choice. His brutal regime new-found freedom explores an opulent residence torture chambers crumble, captive return to your loved ones as rebels seize the nation’s reigns asylum granted to an ousted leader. Bashar al-Assad in Moscow Assad has fled his country
see how it settles
upheaval with no clear path~
‘tis heaven or hell?
Power
Your ability
Not to be abused
But to be used
Productively
Creatively and positively.
Knowledge
Is power
Learn a craft
Not witchcraft
To possess
What belongs to others.
Power very deceitful
Don't let it ruin you
But reign you
Into victory not tyrant
Glorifying your maker
He who bestowed it unto you.
God hate oppression
Sending vile, curse in one's life,
Revolting through knife.
In years, the real tyrant in any country is gross bigotry
It's like a rope that strangles the will to be free
It's like a poison that kills the heart of one's volition
It's like a potion that sways the whim of one's emotion
If on heaven's will I shall have the chance to live again
I'll not choose to be born in a land full of disdain
June 16, 2023
Wind is a tyrant today
Whipping scarves and purses off people
She laughs as some land in mud
Wind is brilliantly in her element
Gloating a bit that she commands the grays
She brings ominous excitement to Chicago’s skyline
Wind cuts through shoulders
Reminding the commuters who the boss is
They begin to button their trench coats.
Wind is on a tear
The rest of us defer to her
Even the gargoyles at the top of buildings lower their eyes
What could Vladimir Putin ever hope to gain
By his malevolent incursion into Ukraine?
Does he fancy a place in Russia’s history
For causing his neighbors misery and pain?
Why would he arouse the whole world’s ire
By setting peaceful neighborhoods on fire?
Does he not have enough personal acclaim?
Apparently not, to notoriety he does aspire,
Can Putin not understand human morality?
Believe that the world’s people have dignity?
Does he fail to see that the Ukrainians have
A right to their elected national sovereignty?
Truth is, Vladimir Putin is evil personified
Like Stalin and Hitler –remember they died!
written March 3, 2022
When I was younger
I felt the world was good
Tyrants were defeated
And things were as they should
But this is not the case
For there will always be
People who want advantage
As we do see
If you are powerful
And have the means
You can get your way
Or so it seems
Do we stand up to them
Say you don’t invade
All are entitled to live
And not be a slave.
© Paul Warren Poetry
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.