I understand what you mean, Brian. Although 99% of my poems never use swearing I have written about half a dozen where the language is totally crucial to the poem.

On another board I tried out a couple of them and the site admin wrote that he had found my poems disturbing but that the language I'd used had NOT been gratuitous but was actually intrinsic.

One was a gang-related poem using 'street talk' and gangsters just DON'T use polite language, especially in the situation of my poem.

The other was about a situation when I was a teenager and was racially abused and physically attacked by three blokes who wanted to rape me and there was a certain amount of verbal badinage before they made their move. Fortunately they failed but I feel that the language is integral to the whole poem.

If the moderators will agree I can post the two poems in question. I do admit that they use a fair amount of swearing but that I simply can't see any other way of getting across the reality of the situation I'm describing.

Could we have a ruling on this question, please?

No problems here with such language, Linda. Gratuitous use would probably get rejected on grounds of sub-standard poetry.

I'd advise you not to put too many poems up at the same time. They get better attention if spread out some, rather than in a bunch. That's not a rule though, only a tip.

Cheers

milner

fucking serious? what the fucking fuck.

not that i know of, and i'd be rather unwilling to do so.  but,
that's just me.

tiko

Nope - no requirements for photos