The Omission of Verse 21
It was not a failure of literacy, but a choice of power.
I. No man is permitted to
assume a position or to
domineer.
Those who are quiet and
demur with fear.
He shall not soak up a
position without
accountability; in the
absence of truth he must be
quiet.
*
II. That much is clear.
Regarding the omission of
verse 21: The one way street
is hereby declared a dead end.
Not the start of a revolution.
*
III. You cannot submit to
yourself, you must submit to
women.
It was not a failure of literacy
that they leaned on the
choice of power.
*
IV. They had no head
No hair.
No one to worship but a
sneer.
*
I still haven’t washed my hair.
About the Creator
Caitlin Charlton
Noir Writer & Close Reader. Spotting the elements of Eloquence.
Survivor. Reclaiming my own territory.
Let us read each other and leave the page free. 🖋️🔥👠
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Expert insights and opinions
Arguments were carefully researched and presented
Keep reading
More stories from Caitlin Charlton and writers in Poets and other communities.
Comments (13)
Well-wrought! Though I am of the mind that no one should submit to anyone. Picture looks like Chinese script. Any idea where it's from or what it is? Care to elaborate on verse 21?
It's funny how so many places, religions, philosophies have this same problem. Original guy says don't forget women are equal, but somehow by the time we hear it the opposite appears to be true. 🙄😤Great poem, the words, and the format. 👏👏👏👏
Omg! I love that line! You reminded me that I need to wash my hair. Thanks :-)
Lol, that last line was so random! I think you nailed this challenge brilliantly!
knowing what I do, your restraint is impeccable. This has real teeth, especially these lines "It was not a failure of literacy that they leaned on the choice of power." as always, exceptionally well done.
Power isn't all it's cracked up to be. We all must just do what we must do to get things done. Good job. (I think I read this right.)
AMEN I. No man is permitted to assume a position or to domineer.
This is so powerful
Wow this piece really spoke to me and this line right here really spoke to me III. You cannot submit to yourself, you must submit to women. It was not a failure of literacy that they leaned on the choice of power. Great poem, I mean it 💜
I love this..I'm not one who wants to be in any position of power but men haven't done the beta jobs imo. And your line was fun and relatable. To me, it was like being too busy with writing your pieces and then a random memory you wanted to get something done. An inner thought that made it to the finished page. Love that!
I’m coming back for a close read when I get to work. But really quick, a technical note about the challenge is one line, and they consider your last line as three lines because of the line breaks. Not sure, but I would give that some thought. 💖
That unnecessary line is too funny, Caitlin! Great poem!
I don't know what's going on, but I love the randomness of the last sentence.