DETRACTORS

Phil Roberts 1957 (Melbourne)



Detractors try to tear you down
To reduce you to their plain,
Decrying you, lying to you
Until you're half insane.

You're racist, or you're sexist.
Or some other word ending in '-ist',
Because you have your own thoughts
And don't stick to the list,

Detractors are high and mighty
They say they're never wrong,
And those who dare to question them
It seems just don't belong

So out we have to go
Along with the other trash,
Because we didn't toe the line
They say we're stupid and brash.

Honesty, today, is not the best policy
Because honesty just isn't allowed,
And if we dare to speak the truth
We're badgered and we're cowered.

Detractors make up rules
Too often for us to follow,
But truly like the lies they teach
Their rules are mostly hollow.

They tell us all to think alike
Originality is not allowed,
And if we think to question them
For God's sake don't say it aloud.

For insurrection isn't tolerated
Just be a good cabbage and toe the line,
Detractors make up immoral laws
Designed to dumb down your mind.

THE END
© Copyright 2021 Philip Roberts
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

About this poem

Detractors try to tear you down To reduce you to their plain, Decrying you, lying to you Until you're half insane.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Written on 2014

Submitted by PHIL_ROBERTS on June 30, 2021

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:03 min read
5

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAXA BBXB CDED FGHG CIXB XFXF XIEI XHXX XXX
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,055
Words 196
Stanzas 9
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 3

Phil Roberts

I turn 65 on the 31st of January 2022. I love cats, rock music, and horror fiction and poetry more…

All Phil Roberts poems | Phil Roberts Books

7 fans

Discuss the poem "DETRACTORS" with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "DETRACTORS" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/103878/detractors>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    12
    days
    18
    hours
    20
    minutes

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem ״Invictus״?
    A Thomas Hardy
    B Oscar Wilde
    C William Ernest Henley
    D Sylvia Plath