Ban my Book, Please

Posted on 2023-10-02 by Bartholomew Barker

There’s no surer way to know
I’m on the right side of history
than to have one of my books banned.

Howl, The Grapes of Wrath,
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Candide,
Canterbury Tales.

I just hope kids are paying attention
and download pirated copies to see
what the adults are freaking out about.

Because it’s not really the book, it’s the reading,
how mere words on a page or a glowing screen
can make someone else imagine a better world.

They can’t burn a PDF or an idea or a memory.
That’s why they fear literature. It leads to Freedom.

For Banned Books Week and the Living Poetry Prompt.

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About Bartholomew Barker

Bartholomew Barker is an organizer of Living Poetry, a collection of poets in the Triangle region of North Carolina where he has hosted a monthly feedback workshop for more than decade. His first poetry collection, Wednesday Night Regular, written in and about strip clubs, was published in 2013. His second, Milkshakes and Chilidogs, a chapbook of food inspired poetry was served in 2017. He was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2021. Born and raised in Ohio, studied in Chicago, he worked in Connecticut for nearly twenty years before moving to Hillsborough where he lives and writes poetry.
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30 Responses to Ban my Book, Please

  1. Cassa Bassa's avatar Cassa Bassa says:
    2023-10-02 at 21:27

    “The Portuguese government lambasted his 1991 novel O Evangelho Segundo Jesus Cristo (The Gospel according to Jesus Christ) and struck the writer’s name from nominees for the European Literature Prize, saying the atheist work offended Portuguese Catholic convictions.”

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  2. Cassa Bassa's avatar Cassa Bassa says:
    2023-10-02 at 21:27

    My comment was referred to Jose Saramago.

    Liked by 1 person

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  3. Nicole Smith's avatar Nicole Smith says:
    2023-10-02 at 23:20

    YESSSSSSSSSSS

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. JeanMarie's avatar JeanMarie says:
    2023-10-03 at 00:54

    A book of atheist poems sounds like a good idea. Go for it.

    Liked by 1 person

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  5. Didier Beaugrand's avatar Didier Beaugrand says:
    2023-10-03 at 01:00

    Ah ah. Interesting idea. Is polemic a good form of marketing? I guess that it could be for a while.
    I know of a writer who thrives on it and would indeed love to get censored. I think that a lot of people have caught up on his strategy by now though. Fake outrage is a bit like crying wolf…
    As for censorship, well as you point out, those days it is a bit of a useless exercise that tends to trigger curiosity.
    Nice write.🙏

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  6. berniebell1955's avatar berniebell1955 says:
    2023-10-03 at 04:51

    Indeedy-doodly-do Bart. And the same goes for songs and films – ‘The Last Temptation of Christ’ comes to mind – such a bru-ha-ha from folk who obviously didn’t get the point….

    https://www.criterion.com/films/612-the-last-temptation-of-christ

    Choice.

    And who can forget what happened when the BBC banned ‘Relax’ by Frankie goes to Hollywood…

    I danced, and danced, and danced…..

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  7. laurastamps's avatar laurastamps says:
    2023-10-03 at 08:00

    The Canterbury Tales? Are you kidding me? Geez. What’s next? Shakespeare? Lol!!!!

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  8. Cheryl Batavia's avatar Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet says:
    2023-10-03 at 11:44

    Maya Angelou’s inspiring classic autobiographical work, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, is banned in Florida. How outrageous! Because she was Black? Because she was raped? She assuredly has lots of company among students on both counts!

    Good luck with getting your book banned, Bart!  <3

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  9. Michele Lee's avatar Michele Lee says:
    2023-10-03 at 15:04

    Bravo, Bart! 👏🏻

    Liked by 1 person

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  11. berniebell1955's avatar berniebell1955 says:
    2023-10-05 at 04:48

    A Haiku by any other name – would still say the same!

    Liked by 7 people

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