Debunking the Cockblock
And craft tips!
You have dick poems in you.
Since starting our call for contributors, Indira and I have worked one-on-one with poets who have wanted to submit but struggled to find the inspiration to write a dick poem.
We even did a free workshop with generative writing time! A special shoutout to those who attended and made it so fun. That was our first time facilitating something like that (and boy-oh-boy was I shaking in my boots).
Now I’m here to give out advice for free.
Wondering what I’m talking about? Well, our upcoming Anthology, of course. Dickotomy is currently taking submission and the deadline is May 15th. You can submit your best shaft here!
The writer’s cockblock
This is my coined term for the writer who cannot find dickspiration. Seemingly, you’re unable to find the profound and prolific on the topic of penises. As an avid lover of penis, I’m here to introduce you to the beauty of our anthology.
As mentioned in our submission guideline, and the 100+ prompts shared for NaPoWriMo, Dickotomy is an anthology that embraces the poet and their experience rather than phallophoria. Some of the poems we’ve already received take the topic and turn it inside out (we don’t recommend doing this to a real penis). Poems embracing humanity and lived experience through odes, and liturgies. Poems that tackle racism, sexism and lived issues from a perspective that embraces or critiques the penis.
Some of my favorite poems in this collection so far have not even used the word.
As writers, we have craft skills and tools that allow us to write almost anything without naming it (through euphemism, idiom, and metaphor). Dick poems, when done well, should be able to hit the spot you’re aiming for.
You can write about violence like Matt Dhillon does, here on Rattle.
Matt drives the poem with a blunt, escalating phallic metaphor that fuses masculinity, desire, and violence into a single mechanism. The refrain builds a sense of inevitability: boyhood becomes training in harm, desire becomes trajectory, and manhood is earned through inflicting damage. Synopsis: power, violence, and the male body are culturally forged to be indistinguishable.
TL;DR - It’s not really about penis, it’s about the generational culture fed to those who carry them.
Write behind religion like Sharon Old’s does, here on American Poems.
By imagining it “praising God,” she collapses the divide between the holy and the sexual, suggesting that the institution of the Church depends on denying something fundamental.
TL;DR - It’s a humorous take on what religion denies.
My point here is: writing about dicks shouldn’t feel like a chore. Those are the worst times to be near a penis. There is liberation connected to this topic, as well as hurt, for many. If you’re curious about submitting, I would strongly encourage you to follow the route that you’re drawn to.
Write a rebellion. Write about war. Write out your hurt.
Dickotomy is sensitive to all experiences, even the ones that are hard to write.
It is also inclusive to all forms of phallus. We want the honest review of your favorite, or least favorite, vibrator and strap, by all means.
Craft tips to writing dick poems:
1. Don’t write the object, orbit around it
If you’re stuck, shift your focus. Write about the impact, the memory, the expectation, the myth. The body part is rarely the most interesting thing in the room. What you attach to it is.
2. Use metaphor like a spotlight
You don’t need to name it. Think tools, weapons, relics. A good metaphor can carry tone without being explicit.
3. Lean into contradiction
Pair reverence with humor, desire with discomfort, power with vulnerability. The tension between these makes the poem feel alive rather than one-note.
4. Write from an unexpected perspective
the partner
the body itself
an inherited voice (father, culture, religion)
an object in the room
5. Let tone do the heavy lifting
A dick poem can be funny, clinical, angry, grieving, detached, ecstatic. Decide the emotional temperature first. This can dropkick a poem onto your blank page.
6. Break the expectation early
Start somewhere surprising. Not the bedroom but maybe a church pew, an adolescent memory. Reframe the context.
7. Use restraint
You don’t have to say everything. Suggestion is often more powerful than description. Leave space for the reader to connect the dots.
8. Make it about something else on purpose
Identity. Shame. Power. Gender. Violence. Tenderness. Coming of age. Loss. If the poem can stand without the central metaphor, it’ll be stronger with it.
9. Play with language levels
Mix high lyricism with blunt phrasing. Sacred language with slang. Clinical terminology with intimacy. Contrast is an incredibly powerful asset to any poem.
10. Follow discomfort instead of novelty
If something feels a bit risky or emotionally sharp, you’re probably onto something real. That’s usually more compelling than trying to be clever.
Last but not least, you don’t have to move outside your playing field. Do you excel at writing poems resonant with the natural world? Surprise—nature is full of phallic imagery: rock formations, flytrap plants, and strange species of monkey.
I tend to float around the hornier side of poetry, writing confessional work related to men, sex, and identity. If you’ve seen any of my dick poems, you’ll know that hasn’t really changed my trajectory either. Sex is an easy topic for me because I’m a freak.
Write what you’re good at. Then whip your dick out (sorry—this anthology has increased my ability to throw a dick pun out there tenfold).
Have a dick poem but want some extra help, an encouraging word or just a new pair of eyes? Message me! I don’t ever sleep (on a dick poem).
Again, submissions are open until May 15th which means you have less than 3 weeks left if you’re still considering contributing.
I genuinely cannot wait to share the anthology with the world. It’s truly becoming something special, thanks to all the contributors so far.
To keep up to date with Dickotomy, stay subscribed or follow us on Instagram for regular updates.
Indira Devos @/littledeathpoetry
Will @/lovecommawill
you did so good bby 💖 I love this. feeling inspired