Using the F-Word

Some folks are afraid to use

The f-word; I am certainly not.

If YOU are, then think about

What's happening, and give it a shot.

 

Assaults on democratic rule

In America we must deplore.

This has never happened here

To such an extent ever before.

 

The f-word here is fascism.

Just watch as it undermines

Our rights and freedoms in frightening ways.

Be aware of the tell-tale signs:

 

A ruler who wants total power

All to himself and stifles dissent,

And one who expects loyalty

From ALL, or he is never content;

 

A ruler who constantly lies and expects

Close supporters to spread his lies;

Who acts like a powerful despot whom

Folks are afraid to criticize;

 

A country where many people fear

Going to work, to stores, or to school

Because the government hunts them down

In ways that are unfair and cruel;

 

A ruler who supports the practice

Of scapegoating and demonization,

And gives extremist groups the right

To justify discrimination;

 

A place where freedoms are threatened by

A far-right governing apparatus,

And where the ruler is elevated

To practically a god-like status;

 

A ruler who uses violence

To help him achieve political goals

And always insists he's right, though all

His arguments are full of holes;

 

A dictatorial ruler who wants

Total control of the higher courts

And tries to force the media

To hide the truth in news reports;

 

And one who pits the people against

One another and has his squads

Who carry out his reign of terror--

Many of whom are thugs or frauds.

 

People will always say, "No way!

Fascism couldn't happen here!"

And live their lives ignoring the signs

As rights continue to disappear.

 

“The hell it can’t!” is what I say.

Look at the signs; learn from the past.

The once-so vivid colors of

Democracy are fading fast.

 

-by Bob B (7-1-25)

Reviews

[Davidgeo]

Do you smoke weed Mr Bob B?

[Neha agrawal]

This poem is urgent, fearless, and strikingly clear. You’ve taken a powerful stance — not just poetic, but civic — and delivered it with the clarity of a siren warning in the dark.

Your choice to frame “fascism” as the unspoken “f-word” is both clever and chilling. It subverts expectations and draws the reader in with a touch of dark wit, before unveiling the serious warning underneath.

Each stanza skillfully outlines a hallmark of authoritarianism:

> “A ruler who constantly lies... who stifles dissent…”
“Where freedoms are threatened by a far-right governing apparatus…”
“Who pits the people against one another…”



These aren't abstract fears — they're painfully specific. Your poem reads like a checklist of democracy's erosion, stanza by stanza.

The repetition of “A ruler who…” gives the piece a steady drumbeat — like a march toward danger — and the closing line:

> “The once-so vivid colors of / Democracy are fading fast.”



— leaves the reader with a potent image of a flag slowly losing its hue.

This is protest poetry at its best: clear, impassioned, and rooted in historical awareness.

[Bob B]

Thank you for your thoughtful review. I am compelled to comment on what I see happening around me as I see our democracy under attack more and more each day.

[abbypullanlitandpoetry]

This is a powerful and urgent piece that does not flinch from truth. The clarity of language makes the message all the more striking, and the repetition builds a steady, relentless rhythm that mirrors the creeping nature of the threat it warns against. A brave and necessary poem. Well done.
AP x

[Bob B]

Thanks for reading it and for taking the time to write your insightful comments.