You Ought Not To Be Naughty

Lawrence S. Pertillar 1947 (Connecticut)



Power to wish it fails.
I more ways than one.
People who crave a taste for power,
Could spend time locked up in jail!
Dreaming to have that wish prevail.
With a backstabbing done.
Leaving blood under fingernails.
And...
Footprints,
Left...
At the scene of the crime.
And...
From their mouths told lies,
Powerless...
To deny!
That craving...
For power!
To satisfy.

'ooo...
You ought not to be naughty.
ooo...
Is this hatchet yours?
You claimed to have been,
Slicing bread.
With a butter knife.
And now...
Show us your hands.
Expose your wrists!'

'PLEASE! DON'T SLIT THEM, PLEASE!'

'Slit them?
Are you kidding?
This is AMERICA!
We are going to spank them.
Then send you home.
For an overdue rehabilitation.
With two weeks counseling.
And a variety of your favorite desserts.

Where on Earth have you been?
You should know by now...
The value of your status.
And entitlements to receive!
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Submitted by lpahtillah on May 03, 2021

Modified on March 07, 2023

45 sec read
20

Quick analysis:

Scheme abcddbaExxxExfghcg IxIxjxxkxx x lhxlxbhx jkfx
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 843
Words 154
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 18, 10, 1, 8, 4

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    "You Ought Not To Be Naughty" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/99088/you-ought-not-to-be-naughty>.

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