by Rolph David
They come with little in their hands,
from burned-out homes and broken lands.
Their hopes are packed in bags of thread,
their pasts erased, their futures bled.
The children walk through desert air,
their fathers drown in deep despair.
No one who leaves a home intact
will ever choose a life like that.
But those who watch them at the gate
are tired too, and bear their weight.
They se...
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Saturday 26th July 2025 6:47 am
migration empathy nationalism shared humanity history displacement identity Europe refugees belonging
by Rolph David
No silver thread, no voice to name the way—
Just walls and warnings passed from tongue to tongue.
His first breath rose from two-thirds drawn from hell,
A fire dimmed by lessons never asked.
They caged him in with rules and screaming brats,
While puppets smiled through teeth of plastic gloss.
The parents barked like kings who'd lost their crowns;
He bore their bile and learned to taste ...
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Friday 25th July 2025 9:11 am
outsider blank verse poetic biography teacher disillusionment solitary life Shakespearean tone emotional resilience poetic realism defiance identity historical cities language love inner conflict anti-nostalgia European setting Bildungsdichtung tragic undertone minimalist style
by Rolph David
A man of gold, yet poor in soul,
Whose heart hath naught to grasp the whole.
No love for art, no ear for song,
Whose mind recoils from right and wrong.
A golden tie, a stiff applause,
He sat, bemused, without a cause.
The songs of sorrow brushed his coat,
He missed the point, he cleared his throat.
Beside him, smiles for magazine,
Not much was said, not much was seen.
The ro...
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Thursday 12th June 2025 1:34 pm
Donald Trump cultural critique Les Misérables drag protest political satire theatre identity ignorance social justice
by Rolph David
Beware, ye lords who preach of holy shame,
Who cage the heart with doctrines carved in stone.
Love answers not to dogma, law, or name—
Its realm is soul, not scripture, nor your throne.
No rite can ban what pulses in the skin,
No creed can curse the heat that makes us whole.
What blasphemy is love, if love is sin?
What god would strike the mercy from a soul?
Two hearts ignite beyond ...
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Thursday 29th May 2025 10:05 am
love defiance freedom LGBTQ+ anti-dogma rebellion spirituality identity passion equality
by Rolph David
This sonnet addresses the irony of calling someone "coloured," highlighting the contrast between black skin, which remains constant, and white skin, which changes with emotional or physical states. This poem reflects on how the colour of one's skin can shift depending on circumstances, challenging the societal labels that define people by their appearance.
When I was born, my skin was dark as...
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Monday 10th March 2025 2:19 pm
race identity blackness whiteness color social commentary cultural reflection shifting identity skin perception poetry sonnet
by Rolph David
Lost among the nameless crowd,
A quiet ghost, no cries allowed.
Drifting shadows, passing by,
No hello, no wondering why.
A life unbound, yet bound so tight,
A flickering flame in endless night.
The world it speaks, but not to me,
A dialect I’ll never see.
I tried to stand where others meet,
But tripped upon my own two feet.
Their laughter rang, a foreign sound,
A melody I’ve neve...
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Sunday 23rd February 2025 12:10 pm
loneliness isolation self-discovery searching for connection emotional pain kindred spirit longing solitude outsider reflection identity
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