Poetry That Bites Back: Power, Closure, and the Last Word

My favorite type of poetry...

As Poetry Month rolls on, I’m sharing more of my sharpest, boldest pieces. You know…the ones with snark, confidence, and just the right amount of side-eye. A lot of them revolve around breakups, but they aren’t about sad heartbreak. They’re about closure, self-respect, and sometimes, a little well-earned revenge.

Poetry has long been a vessel for processing love and loss, but what fascinates me is the power of reclamation in verse. Think of the sharp wit of Dorothy Parker, the fearless declarations of Sylvia Plath, the raw, unfiltered truth of Warsan Shire. These poets didn’t just document pain—they owned it, flipped it, and turned it into something stronger.

From an academic standpoint, poetry has long been a vehicle for subverting traditional narratives around love and loss. Confessional poets like Anne Sexton and Adrienne Rich used verse not just to express emotion but to challenge societal expectations—who gets to grieve, who gets to be angry, and who gets to walk away unscathed. Even Shakespeare’s sonnets contain biting irony and veiled contempt, proving that poetry about love was never just about “love”…it was about power, agency, and, sometimes, the art of the last word.

My own poetry taps into these traditions, embracing the sharp edges of language to reclaim the narrative. If you’ve ever read a poem and thought, “DAMN,” then you’re in the right place today (I think!). Let’s keep going. - Alicia

Excerpts from Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back

If I am being honest, I knew you weren’t the one a few weeks in when you bit directly into a string cheese. – Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back

...I let men with biblical names drag me through Hell for the art it creates. – Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back

This is still a love poem
even if I don’t love you anymore.
– Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back

I forget to call you when I get home and you get frustrated when I abandon my shoes in the middle of the room or don’t charge my phone (it’s on 8% right now, so I need to make this quick). You sigh really hard each time I don’t use a coaster, but that won’t condition me to care about condensation. – Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back

It’s the nature of my beast / I care the most / or I care the least, / never ever in between. / So the story always goes, / I’m your soulmate or your foe, / writer’s blocked or on a roll. – Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back

I’ll love you—
but not completely.
I’ll hold your hand—
but won’t interlace our fingers.
I’ll take pictures—
but won’t tag you.
I’ll miss you—
but never enough to ever
question leaving.
– Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back

I had a nightmare we were still together. Even in a dreamworld, your bullsh-t exhausts me. – Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back

One From I Hope My Voice Doesn’t Skip

I no longer live in a world
that revolves around your ego.
You are not a life source.
You are not the sun.
It’s the best feeling
in the world to know
I haven’t just moved on,
I’ve eclipsed you. – I Hope My Voice Doesn’t Skip

Two From The Music Was Just Getting Good

I am not the clearing in the forest. I am the havoc and brush that keeps you lost. I am not clear water. I am zero visibility, and you will drown. – The Music Was Just Getting Good

You’re still out constructing your land of make believe.
Still auditioning understudies with the same astrological sign as me.
– The Music Was Just Getting Good