Oppression Poem by Shiloh Thompson

This is for all the poets out there who have ever been told their work wasn't 'good enough', or 'didn't make sense'.

Who is to say what real poetry is?
Does it flow, does it rhyme?
Is it short or is it long?
Are there stanza breaks,
Or does it ramble on infinitely?
Who is to judge the quality,
Of the words written from
The very heart and soul?
How can anyone put a grade
On a passionate cry for help,
Or the confession of a secret?
How can anyone tell someone
That their work isn’t good enough
Saying they don’t ‘make the cut’,
Or flat out tell them it is horrible?
No one has the right to oppress creativity.
Grades are just letters,
And letters lose all meaning,
If they are not backed up
By the words of a writer.
And those who insist there
Is a ‘proper’ way to show
One’s creative expression,
Are not true writers,
But oppressors of the art.