The Echoes poetry competition to celebrate Write Out Loud's 20th anniversary is now open.  Judged by Neil Astley.

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Power (Remove filter)

The Hollowing

No banners wave, no boots in line, No marching columns lock in time. Yet something shifts, a silent crack, The ground gives way—we can't turn back. He rules not as the past has shown, No iron grip, no brutal throne. But whims unleashed, all rules declined, A lawless world, a fractured mind. The courts still stand, their robes still flow, Yet power twists, the cracks still grow. A w...

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autocracytyrannypowerpoliticsdemocracyfuturechangeleadershipcorruptioncontrolfearuncertaintysocietygovernment

Trump's Gambit


 

He leaves NATO, the pact undone, No ally left to block his run. Article 5 is cast aside, No aid, no help, no place to hide. Greenland waits, a prize to claim, No resistance, none to blame. Courts grow silent, power reigns, No law to stop him, no remains. Congress bows, the path is clear, No dissent, no foe is near. The Constitution torn apart, A kingdom built from iron hear...

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tyrantspowerdominationalliancesglobal crisissubmissionoppressionlawsborderswarningpolitical upheavalrisefutureauthorityworld on the brinkresistance

The Wrecking Ball of Democracy Incarnate

A chilling warning about the state of American democracy, as power consolidates under the hands of a few. With Trump and Musk at the helm, the nation’s soul is being dismantled, and the world trembles at the impending rise of a new dictatorship. This poem tries to capture the essence of a regime fuelled by greed, secrecy, and the crushing of basic freedoms, marking a dark chapter in history.

...

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Americademocracy at staketyrannyTrumpMuskauthoritarianismdictatorshipcorruptionpolitical crisispowerrevolutionconstitutionjusticefreedom

Allied With Tyrants!

In light of current events

In today's Oval Office scandal, President Trump, alongside Vice President JD Vance, engaged in a heated exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump accused Zelenskyy of risking "World War Three" and suggested that Ukraine had "no good cards" in negotiations. This confrontation led to the abrupt cancellation of a significant minerals deal between the U...

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If I were God...

If I were God, no tyrant’s fist Would strike the world and call it law. No throne would stand on broken backs, No crown be forged from cries of pain. The fattened few who drink from veins Of those who toil, who starve, who break, Would wake to find their golden feasts Had turned to dust upon their tongues. No child would fade to hollow bone, No mother beg for crusts of bread, No fa...

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I believed

I believed, because we believe all the time.
We believe in the structures around us,
in what we were taught, in the promises made to us.
I believed in what was given to me as certain,
in love that is, at the same time, a bond and a prison.

But time, that relentless teacher,
showed me that truth is plural,
that certainties fade away,
that the world is complex,
and that true freedom comes...

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believepromisestruthpluralprisonfreedompowercriticalcourageflightrightactionfoundationsociety

A Deal With the Devil, or The Scales of Justice Shattered

In A Deal With the Devil, or The Scales of Justice Shattered, the poem condemns Donald Trump’s arbitrary pardons of over 1,500 criminals (the so-called J6), highlighting the dangerous erosion of justice under his unchecked power. This is a call to confront the corruption that distorts the law and undermines accountability, as power bends the rules to serve its own interests. A sing...

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Trumpjusticecorruptionpowertyrannylawaccountabilitypardonsarbitrary rulepoliticsprotestinequalitylawlessnessfreedom

The Four New MUSKateers

This sonnet critiques the dangerous alliance between powerful tech moguls and a corrupt political figure, symbolised by the "four musketeers" who bow to Trump’s person, influence and might. It explores their sycophantic behaviour, the manipulation of media, and the betrayal of values for profit and power. The poem hopefully paints a chilling portrait of cowardice dressed as strength and the erosio...

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sonnetElon the FelonTom Crooked CookBezo the BozoZuckheadT-Rumptech mogulspowercorruptionbetrayalmedia manipulationcowardicepolitical influencesocial mediacapitalismfreedomgreedsycophancy

The Scales of Justice Tilt in Gold

A piercing critique of a justice system that allows the powerful to escape unscathed while the ordinary face the harshest punishments. This poem confronts the political and judicial failures surrounding Donald Trump's acquittal, highlighting the frustration and disillusionment with the system's bias and corruption. It challenges the state of American justice, questioning what remains of fairness i...

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Trumpinjusticeunconditional dischargecourtacquittalMerchanjudicial corruptionAmerican politicslegal systempoempowerinequalityshamecritiquepolitical commentary

Trump’s Caesarian Megalomania

In a world teetering on the brink of geopolitical upheaval, the specter of Trump’s "Caesarian Megalomania" looms large. This poem explores the audacious ambitions of a leader seeking to claim sovereignty over Greenland, Panama, and even Canada, driven by an insatiable thirst for control. A call to arms against unchecked power, it challenges the very essence of freedom and unity in a world that mus...

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Trumpmegalomaniageopolitical conflictsovereigntyGreenlandPanama CanalCanadaterritorial expansionpowerunityresistanceworld peaceinternational lawmilitary threatsglobal politicsCæsarismambitiondystopia

Titans of Greed

This poem is supposed to be a fierce indictment of unchecked wealth and power, calling for justice against those who exploit their riches to dominate and oppress. It warns of the consequences of greed and challenges readers to act decisively, through solidarity and systemic change, to dismantle the influence of the ultra-rich and restore equity.
 

The richest rise, their coffers swell,
While ...

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greedpower(in)justiceinequalityactivismsystemic changewealth limitsexploitationdisempowermentprotest

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