When words are walls and gates,
and pages wear the mark of shame,
some voices tremble under light,
some ignite the dark with flame.
A sentence can be a crown,
a prayer, a warning, a key—
and still the hands of fear
will swipe the ink from what they see.
Books buried, burned, or whispered,
books that taught, provoked, or bled,
they haunt the shelves with silent cries,
they speak when we are led.
From ancient scrolls to scribbled youth,
from sacred texts to tales of sin,
every banned page is a mirror
of what we fear lies within.
So listen close, read the forbidden,
the hidden, the sharp, the true—
for in the heart of censored words
the world waits to meet you.
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Author:
Matthew R. Callies (
Offline) - Published: March 11th, 2026 00:32
- Comment from author about the poem: This poem is pretty much about the practice of challenging or outright banning books
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 11
- Users favorite of this poem: sorenbarrett, Tristan Robert Lange
- In collections: 🔥Trending🔥, When Words Are Feared.
Offline)
Comments2
Thought control the aim of every institution, religion and government that has ever been. Maintaining control by banning or censoring printed, video, radio, or spoken word all under the pretext of being for the public good to prevent corruption of minors, protect rights of minorities and anything else that would justify what common sense, sensitivity and self restraint and respect should control. A lovely write and a fave
Matthew, this resonates with the feeling that books carry more than stories… they carry voices that refuse to disappear. Even when buried or burned, the ideas tend to surface again through those willing to read and listen. You captured that persistence well, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
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