Satirical Poems

“Wit with a purpose—irony, parody, and pointed critique in verse.”

TitleAuthorType of Poem
The Old MenRudyard KiplingSatirical
The OrdinationRobert BurnsSatirical
The Patriotic LeagueHenry LawsonSatirical
The Penalty Of GeniusJames Whitcomb RileySatirical
The Periwinkles And The Locusts. A Salmagundian HymnThomas MooreSatirical
The Petition Of The Orangemen Of IrelandThomas MooreSatirical
The PhilanthropistGilbert Keith ChestertonSatirical
The Plea Of The Simla DancersRudyard KiplingSatirical
The Poet And The Critics.Henry Austin DobsonSatirical
The Poet Moralizeth - He Discourseth To Those Who Gorge And ComplainHoratio Alger, Jr.Satirical

Understanding Satirical Poetry

Satirical poems use wit, irony, exaggeration, and ridicule to expose folly—personal, social, or political. The aim isn’t just laughter: it’s critique that nudges readers toward insight or change.

Common characteristics of satirical poetry:

  • Targeted Critique: Focuses on specific behaviors, institutions, or ideas—often timely, sometimes timeless.
  • Tools of Irony: Uses sarcasm, parody, understatement, and hyperbole to sharpen the point.
  • Voice & Persona: Speakers may be unreliable or exaggerated to reveal contradictions and hypocrisy.
  • Form Flexibility: Appears in couplets, tercets, quatrains, blank verse, or free verse—music serves the mockery.
  • Moral Pressure: Beneath the humor lies ethical pressure—satire seeks reform, not merely amusement.
  • Public & Personal: Can lampoon public figures and trends or needle private vanities and everyday pretenses.

The best satire balances bite with craft: memorable lines that entertain while revealing the gap between how things are and how they ought to be.