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What Have You Got

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TRIGGER WARNING: contains profanity and quoted use of racist language

 

What Have You Got?

 

What have you got

When you haven’t got a tweet

That will work on the masses

And keep them off the street

When your corrupt policies

Are all laid bare

And the people are as unruly

As your fake blonde hair

 

What have you got

When it all goes South

In pillow case hats

Small hands big mouth

When you’re sitting on a pile

Of TNT

And lighting up matches

On live TV

 

What have you got

What do you expect

When your police force

Don’t serve and protect

It’s out of control

You’re out of respect

And your country will reap

What the bigot will elect

 

What have you got

You ain’t got much

No whiff of remorse

Or the human touch

Corrupt and in denial

For all of our sakes

Resign and step away

You haven’t got what it takes

 

You sanction the gun toting

KKK

You stamp on any ‘n****r’

Who might get in the way

You accumulate profits

While someone poor will pay

God Bless

the motherfucking USA

63black lives matterday 2napowrimo2017police brutalitypresidentracisimriotstrumpUSA

◄ Pandora's Box

It Rained Today ►

Comments

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Ian Whiteley

Wed 3rd Jun 2020 12:04

Thanks for all the kind and insightful comments - I appreciate you taking the time to do so
Ian

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Don Matthews

Wed 3rd Jun 2020 00:10

Well said Ian. And excellent rhyming.

Your statement below is so true:

'I detest censorship and usually don't care - I'm either growing soft in my old age or am conscious not to offend the very people I'm trying to support. Who said this poetry lark was easy?

As Po says

The time to worry is when I say nothing....
We must tell it how we see it....

<Deleted User> (18980)

Tue 2nd Jun 2020 22:55

The only good thing to come out of this is that Trump has probably lost the black vote and therefore the presidency.

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Greg Freeman

Tue 2nd Jun 2020 21:43

It's true, Ian, that we normally wouldn't want to see that word spelt out on Write Out Loud. I remember the outrage among colleagues of colour when we carried a story in the paper that included the word, because it was a story about someone using that same word. I think one or two black American poets have used it on this site. There's no easy answer, but when you are writing about deep-seated racial prejudice, maybe there is a time and a place for it, as long as you're making it clear which side of the great divide you are on.

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Ian Whiteley

Tue 2nd Jun 2020 19:55

I would be interested in your view Greg (or anyone reading this) - I originally didn't **** the obvious racial slur - I thought it was clear I was referencing others views not my own - then I had a change of heart and ****** it and now I'm thinking I shouldn't have. I detest censorship and usually don't care - I'm either growing soft in my old age or am conscious not to offend the very people I'm trying to support. Who said this poetry lark was easy? :-/

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Greg Freeman

Tue 2nd Jun 2020 19:44

Thanks for the warning, Ian, but not really needed in this context. Sad but also glad to see so much anger on Write Out Loud tonight.

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