poems about power

Protecting

Entrusted with the
Power of the pen,
He routinely, passionately
Persecutes the poor and
Disenfranchised, focusing
With white-hot, laser-like
Intensity on the innate
Shortcomings of the indigent,
Emphatically insisting that
These things must be pointed out;
A sentinel of truth and justice
Conveniently overlooking the
Trespasses of the group
He identifies with,
Protecting the perpetrators.

Get the Poetry Collection
Unconventional Being - Minimalist Poetry Book by Guy Farmer

Readers around the world have found pieces of themselves in these poems. Discover the collection.

Get Your Copy on Amazon

Debris

Avarice clouds
Judgment.
The innocent
Fall by the wayside.
A cloud of mendacity.
Piles of refuse and debris.
The remains of
Many before who
Succumbed to the whims of
Meager, broken minds.

Learning, Laughing, Growing

She peruses a beloved album
Of fading photographs and
Remembers the days when she
Used to walk to school with
Her brother and sister.

There was never any question
Whether her teachers would
Be there, her desk, books,
Exhilarating days spent
Learning, laughing, growing.

She goes for a stroll,
Passing the empty shell of
What used to be her school,
Left to decay instead of
Welcoming eager children.

Prickly

He lost count of
How many times
He had to
Bite his tongue,
Change his
Narrative in order
To not elicit
Prickly reactions,
Reflexive retorts from
A frightened squid
Spewing ink,
Clouding the waters
Of understanding,
Face an impassable
Wall built to keep the
Barbarians out,
Endure a superficial
Relationship built
On strict hierarchy,
Avoid being himself.

Fun

They sit down to
Play a game but it
Soon becomes clear that
This is much more than
An innocent diversion.
The contest becomes
Heated, mirth gives way
To intensity, each one
Of them trying to vanquish
The other, neither
Willing to cede an inch,
Risk losing face.
Eventually something has
To give, the adult
Jubilantly trounces the
Child and gloats a while,
What passes for fun.

Undeserved

She wakes on a cool
Spring morning to find
The chamber’s fireplace
Already stoked.

Outside on the lawn,
Several men lie where
They fell last night
During the revelry.

Miss Averill appears
To help her with
Her toilette so she
May appear for breakfast.

Below stairs several
Servants ensure her meal
Is perfect although
Completely undeserved.

Conventional

Deeply conventional,
Revering tradition and
Established practices.

Unconsciously submissive,
Loathing authority but
Following strongmen.

Acutely unimaginative,
Copying rather than
Creating anew.

Impulsively aggressive,
Quick to anger
When challenged.

Fiercely disliking
Anyone who isn’t
The same.

Profoundly hypocritical,
Living in compartments of
Contradictions and myopia.

Intensely dogmatic,
Unwilling to change,
Immune to reason.

Fair

He won’t bat an eye
At spending obscene
Amounts of dough on
Advertising or superfluous
Giveaways but he’ll
Fight to the last breath
Over paying his employees
A living wage or providing
Health care of any kind.
No contortion or legal
Maneuver is too outlandish
When it comes to
Stiffing his people.
No matter how much
Time or money it costs,
He’ll endeavor to not give
Them one more cent than
His meager mind deems fair.
He settles into bed
In one of his seven
Vacation homes,
Sleep undisturbed.

Just Following Orders

Without flinching,
They authorize
Savage torment,
Projecting their fears
And desperate need for
Power and control onto
Their captive targets.
Not a moment’s reflection
Or second thought –
Subconscious reaction arising
From too many years of
Patriarchal indoctrination and
Forced obedience,
Profoundly ordinary –
Distressingly banal,
Merciless,
Just following orders.