Democracy in chains

Silent steps taken in the dark

Shadows of history on the walls

Questions we never asked pass by

Solutions stood at the gate

Passively distracted, pour another glass

Watch a new reality on show

Controlled scope, directed conversation 

A silhouetted ideology begins to form

Corporate takeover takes aim

Sealed with government stamps

The succession of lords by another name

In a world starved of facts

Freedom is nowhere to be found

-Camille Delaquise

This poem appears in The Precipice, Camille’s third contemporary poetry collection. Democracy in chains speaks to the quiet mechanics of democratic erosion — tracing how distraction, managed narratives, and the union of corporate and state power can hollow out freedom long before the public fully sees what is taking shape.

This poem is available as a contemporary poetry print on textured recycled card.