social commentary
There's a rich history of poetry serving as social commentary, intended to inspire calls to action.
Four Minute Carnival
It started in the hall, after the rain of ringing, in all ears, through every wall. It really started just inside the door, where our legs burned in place. My feet scrubbed the carpet, tapped impatiently behind me. I close my eyes to cut off their sensibility and let all the conversation smash together, creating a kind of static music. I feel an ache beginning just between my shoulder and neck. My book bag straps are little pink bursts in the corners of my eyes. The voices are stilling, two by two until the silence is complete. It's as though the clock has stunned its victims with a paralyzing, soundless cloak while we wait for permission to commit motion. The poison wears off. A twanging, far away alarm snaps them from their daze. They launch all at once through a portal, which was intended for maybe one or two to pass through at a time.
By Harvey Elwood3 years ago in Poets
How to Live with Yourself When the Mirror is Shattered
You may wake to find your mirror has been shattered. When searching for something or someone to blame, you must come to terms with the idea that, sometimes, you are your own worst enemy. You can wish you realized sooner that the problem lies not with the outside looking in but the inside trying to escape.
By Sam Eliza Green3 years ago in Poets
Between Us and Tomorrow
It was inconceivable. The moments we had survived, the horrors we had endured; we stood like statues before a braced door…the only possible exit from living hell. Though the key rested in my hand, I couldn’t bring myself to place it. Not a single breath was heard while we stared wide-eyed at the possibility, the future we had fought so ravenously to reach. It was finally in our grasp the choice to leave this place of death where the stains of former dreads still resided on the walls, floors, and in some areas, ceilings. What would greet us?
By R. M. Forté3 years ago in Poets
