Taboo Poetry – My Tuesday Three

Last Saturday I wrote a poem for the dVerse Poets Pub challenge to write on a taboo subject, such as sex, politics, or religion. There were 63 poets who took the challenge, and I read most of them. I decided to share three of my favorites for My Tuesday Three.

The first poem I want to share is called Conspicuous by Glynn over at Faith, Fiction, Friends. His “taboo” subject is conspicuous consumption, and how it has changed over the decades but still exists. As I read it, it occurred to me that the same kind of desire for status has existed for centuries. I thought of the Pharisees with their phylacteries and fasting in ways that made their piety obvious to others. The subject of status seeking is taboo because none of us want to admit we do it.

The second poem I want to share is called {don’t} just walk away by Anna over at wayside word garden. Her “taboo” subject is domestic abuse, and how we just don’t see it even when it’s right in front of us. Her poem is heartbreaking and ought to make us all open our eyes to the silent pain of women who are trapped in relationships that they shouldn’t have to be because they can’t see a way out.

The third poem I want to share is called The Circle of Silence by Christine over at An Inkling of sorts . . .. Her “taboo” subject is the intersection of mental illness and public prayer. This one in particular hit home for me. Prayer is so important and I think it is important to keep those struggling with mental illnesses in our prayers. And they need to know we support them. (Oh, who am I kidding – I need to know that my fellow Christians support me when melancholy threatens to set in.)

There were a lot of other good poems posted for this prompt, and a few I didn’t care for, but that’s okay because everyone has their own taste in poetry. If you want to read some more, click on the dVerse link above and then click on the Mr. Linky box at the bottom of the post.