It has come to my attention
That you’re using my little ditty
To woo all the gentlemen
And make yourself seem pretty

You saw my poem on that page
And thought you’d never be caught
Who was your teacher of right and wrong
Was this what you were taught?

Stealing is stealing, that’s the end of it
There is no ‘borrowing’ here
So the next time you claim my work is yours
I’m afraid you’re in deep trouble dear

Plagiarism is a crime you know
And I personally think it’s a sin
Don’t take what doesn’t belong to you
You can’t know the trouble you’re in!

Leave these words right where they’re written
Don’t lift them from pages of blue
For if I find out, you’ve stolen them
I’m coming after you!


**
Note: if you read in Open Forum, you'll see that this is a double post. I know. And I'm taking executive privilege with it because it's such an important issue. (I am not AIMING this at anyone, by the way!)

The Supreme Court will be deciding this fall on the length of time that someone's 'work' can be copyrighted. If you haven't done this with your work, I urge you to protect yourself and your writing from those who would just 'take' what they feel they can!