Detainees



Detainees
Across the world, they sit in darkened, tiny squalid cells,
    fed garbage to eat, and beaten if they speak,
        for reasons political and speech critical,
            they are the disappeared and forgotten, their bedding rotten.

Each tortured soul plays it's role,
    in a cosmic farce, of governmental responsibility,
        in a lie of needed stability,
            what is wrong is wrong no matter what say the chained throng.

When will come the day when all the people are free to say?
    what they know is right without a fight?
        that day must come,
            for all not just some.

The detainees innocent must all walk free,
    that is the only way it can be,
        the great day I wish to see,
            for one or them is me.

My cell is not dark and damp,
    for I am one of a privileged few,
        made to work for my jailers,
            I cooperate with them that is one of my great failures.

so many others stay pure to their ideals,
    They don't make deals,
        for good meals,
            and a soft bed, instead they bled.

Filled with dope I can but hope,
    to bring some oversight to their plight,
        with these words which I write,
            so I bid you a sweet goodnight.     

A place not to be
© 1 hour ago, Terence Cummings Smith

About this poem

personal situation

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Written on April 05, 2023

Submitted on April 05, 2023

1:16 min read
1

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXXXX XAAX XBCC AAAA XXDD EEEX XBBB AX
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,309
Words 252
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 5, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 2

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    "Detainees" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/155634/detainees>.

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