Poetry Forum

Forum Home » Writing Poetry » swearing in poems

Ways to improve your poetry. Post your techniques, tips, and creative ideas how to write better.

5/24/2010 6:16:55 PM Daniel Corcoran Posts: 28	why can't we do it?
	• permalink • reply with quote
5/26/2010 6:30:30 AM Daniel Corcoran Posts: 28	it just seems very outdated. i understand they don't want poems saying eff this and eff that and being swearing for swearing sake, but surely the odd swear can make a poem better. shakespeare swore so it cant be that bad.
	• permalink • reply with quote
9/5/2011 7:15:47 PM Keith Baker Posts: 18	A word has only the power you allow it, I find it incredibly demeaning to writing and to humanity that our creation, speech, now has more control over us than we do of it. There are sites like this one and LiveJournal and so forth that are attempting to take back that control by fostering and encouraging expression through the manipulation and implementation of words but disallowing cursing because there are some so close-minded that they are offended by the mere utterance of a word they likely don't even know the etymology of is, in a word, silly. I understand the idea that children need to be protected from such material to be without merit and those who believe it are obviously not living in the world their children are. I don't think a single patron of this site would say they support the rendition of Huck Finn recently being made topic because of the editing of the nigger Jim character, and if they do then maybe it is they who should be censored from this and other sites of thoughtful exploration and not those who see the value of a larger pool of words vs. the ones we are allowed to have. I have not included a poem I have written on this site that features cursing as part of the main idea of the poem out of respect for the guidelines but never will I say that it is just in this era of rational thinking. And furthermore, there are some forms of expression, like limericks, that are traditionally obscene and to say that you are not allowed to practice such a well known form in the style it was popularized is ridiculous as well. Saying something is "family" oriented and that is why censorship is allowed is a cop-out of unimaginable scale and not worth even criticizing. Saying something is not uplifting because you, yourself, don't get it is offensive to all those people (like me) who were saved by the words of someone you would likely consider a heathen who shouldn't have the same rights as you. Without these words, I may not be here today, who are you to say what it uplifting to me? In summation, I will continue to follow and respect the rules of this community because it provides me with a much greater good than bad but I will not respect those who think their beliefs come before mine as should no one of dignity.
	• permalink • reply with quote
9/7/2011 7:36:03 PM Keith Baker Posts: 18	The first rule under Terms and Conditions says you aren't allowed, among other things, to use profanity. That's what were are talking about.
	• permalink • reply with quote
9/30/2011 12:26:15 AM Paula Swanson Posts: 22	Generations are, well, generations apart. Not only in years and values, but in how we view the world. I come from a generation where it was impolite to swear like a trucker in front of a lady. Now days, ladies swear worse than truckers. Well, some do, that is. I find the use of the F bomb to be offensive. Yet, there are some, so called curse words, that are not offensive to me in poetry. I believe that with changing times, comes changes in what society accepts as O.K. The young can accept these changes much better than the old. (not that I am that old). If the only way you can get your point across in poetry, is by the exclusive use of curse words, than maybe poetry isn't for you. An occasional word used for emphasis is fine. In my opinion, that is. But, the Soup has its rules and by posting here we agree to follow those rules. There are plenty of other sites that allow all the cursing freedom one could want. So, you are not being gagged and bound in your expressions, just tempered, here at the Soup.
	• permalink • reply with quote
1/21/2016 11:11:26 AM Justin Fields Posts: 6	Can I swear in my poems
	• permalink • reply with quote
1/26/2016 8:19:00 PM Bob Atkinson Posts: 294	If you post poetry on the net with bad words, PK thru 12 young-uns would be excluded from reading your site by their school's Barracuda Web Filters. So, if you don't want half the population reading and enjoying your stuff, swear away. You've instantly become a non-person to the educational establishment, and at the same time bad mouthed poetry (pun intended).
	• permalink • reply with quote
11/19/2016 6:47:28 PM Doug Vinson Posts: 102	Daniel, I like raw, gritty, truthful real-life stuff, and certainly swearing is part of real life for many people. I agree with you that "the odd swear can make a poem better." But where to draw the line? I think the website's operators are looking for maximum viewership, and they're going to want kids included, as well as people favoring a "family friendly" place, even at the risk of a very few adults leaving because of the censorship. I've changed some of my poems a little, to comply, and I don't think there was any real harm done. For what it's worth - I looked at many poetry websites before choosing PoetrySoup. No, it's not perfect, but all in all and for what I wanted, I think it's the best one.
	• permalink • reply with quote