I'm keenly aware
As I step to explore
The common option
That is no more
I sense a push
Down deep in my gut
The comfort calls
From within the old rut
No, no, I got out
And I'm moving on
I know I won't get what I got
The old way is gone
I feel my shoulders tense
There's time to go back
What lies ahead
Can only be more lack
Courage builds
As I steady my stride
Life never gets better
For the soul that hides
...in quicksand
Written by Trudy Schrader on 10-01-2026
I've just been to Africa.
Our trip was a rush job.
In a hazardous and chaotic cosmos,
it's another world. Entirely.
If you go to another planet,
don't plan on staying long,
they're slippery and dangerous.
I'm back now—to my weird little life,
where I’ve always been netted and safe—
in classes—swaddled in color-coded calendars.
I like books - book books, paper books.
There's something memorable to durable goods,
the physical, a hex to text you can touch.
School requires a quiet disappearance.
All at once but nothing dramatic,
just small, measurable units
moment by moment edits.
A pleasure removed here or postponed there,
things renamed “inefficient” mostly.
One can lose oneself in self-improvement.
As you get better at academic measurables,
everything else suffers.
You can streamline your personality,
to disengage with distractions—
no matter how cute they are.
.
.
Songs for this:
TiK ToK by Kesha
2 days into college by Aimee Carty
An expiration date has been given
Like a common loaf you would bake
This one slightly differs, as past due is the date
Delve deep into the depths, where mysteries do lurk
To pluck out an answer, one might not think will work
You will find each foot planted, in a very shallow grave
Which one will get you there quicker, a choice must be made
But in the end it doesn't matter, the result stays the same
So now you must choose wisely, a balance must be paid
It all boils down to that inevitable, unfair trade
invite introspect purposefully to dispute the obscureness
(Weekly Magnetic Poetry Challenge • September 28–October 4, 2026)
I have a grandson
that likes to climb cliffs --
I worry.
Have a wife that frequents
Facebook --
I worry.
Have a dentist that enjoys watching
horror films --
Need I say it!?
True though, worry never solved anything --
I worry about that….
-----------------------------------------------------
Hi friends!
High, friends?
I have had both,
those in high places
and those simply flying….
Falling is another thing to worry about,
whether from thrones or self perpetuated peaks --
All the same to death my guess…?
I hold stories
Too heavy for daylight
And too sacred for the careless
Hands.
Some cut.
Some heal.
Some stay buried
I'm not quite-
I'm chosen
Shadow remembers,
Soul decides.
I keep what must be kept,
A guardian of bone-deep
Truth
And the lessons that live
Beneath it.
Every secret I carry
Is a warning,
A witness,
A map.
Keeper of Secrets.
From a dynasty of light
There came a glorious dawn,
A mighty king, a noble knight,
A leader of our own.
He shone to end the darkest nights,
He rose to help the weak,
A man of strength, of will and might,
His people's good he seeks.
A protector of all that is sacred,
A loving father, a caring brother too,
His light shines bright against all hatred,
And in our hearts, his love will grow.
Throughout his reign,
He lived by his word and never failed;
Each day brought forth a lasting gain,
As security, prosperity, and justice prevailed.
So stand with me,
And let us proudly sing,
As loudly as our voices can be:
Long live the King!
Long, long live the King!
Sometimes my emotions snatch my breath right out of me and decapitate my reasoning. I feel like I might be slipping into another depression stupor.
Reality is overwhelming, and since I don't have anything to soften the blow, it explodes like a nuclear bomb, and the waves decimate everything around me.
All my senses intensify to the 10th power.
Every emotion demands to be felt while I sit in the middle of ground zero, going straight to DEFCON 3 mode.
A state of heightened alert that I know so well.
I try to keep the collateral damage to a minimum after my emotional fallout.
As I combat my fears and bury my demons, I walk through the fire and wreckage as the last one standing, refusing to surrender.
Round and round we go,
Growing within the flow,
Slowly showing signs,
Aligning with the Divine,
The shine to bright to hide,
Exposing the Divide,
Decide to cut the chain,
Retrain your brain,
Maintain a sense of purpose,
Your a service to the world,
Moving toward peace,
Release all doubt,
It's all you've dreamed about,
A sprout coming to bloom,
Groomed by the spirit,
You can hear it within,
Begin to listen,
As glistening lights appear,
Have no fear,
They are here for you,
True to your intention,
They heal the dimension,
Your attention is necessary,
Scary is a word defined,
To keep you unrefined,
Running around blind,
Until its "you" that you find.
Ase begins as breath- The
Quiet spark inside
Intention.
Ase grows ad force- The
Current that spiral truth.
Ase becomes energy- The
Power that turns spirit into
Reality.
In her own soul's inner stillness,
There forever burns a willingness
To live a life filled with forgiveness
And love that leads to happiness.
As moths, man draws near to light --
Sun bathing by day, moon bathing
By night – they both can burn, you
Know – days, more apt the skin,
As for nights, brave play a potentially kindling
Part -- Love, the oldest inflaming protagonist~
And the theater, a highly, combustible human
Heart….
Beakons of Hope
Free my will finally at last
Reasons unknown
God keep me from being destructive to myself
Highly sought is your Favor, to keep me from despairing in my lonely thoughts
I have at night
The Devil doesn't know it, it's his own foot that is caught in the snare
As I seek your guidance and look to the stars to find my path
What is known, it all depends on You
It's all in Your hands
What the Future brings, Oh! my God I hope to see you there
In Heaven where I store my treasure
I only hope to see your face
That I smile and put away this put away this gloomy feeling that I have
As a lamp your word lights my path
As I observe your Holiness
It's the example to my eyes
Help me to realize what to do at the moment I cry for help
Let it be as a reminder to all those who have been in a jam
Wear it away.
Let the rubber shed its skin
across the page like ash.
The eyes lose their grip.
Focus fractures.
Shapes dissolve into smoke.
Gone from view,
buried in a grave of blank paper.
Still, the spirit festers.
Nonetheless,
it bleeds from the mind,
a rust-colored river
through shattered chambers.
Memory is a locked room.
The blood dries.
The walls remain.
And nothing is ever truly erased
It took time for me to realize
I fed the wrong ego and paid the cost,
there's was no reward but a price;
I should be very happy and make a toast!
If all worthless things
suddenly come to an end,
there's little to understand;
let them be memories!
I've stopped waiting on you, charmer
the wonderful things you whispered were false,
not even one word matched your promise;
it was another wish on a wandering star!
I've reached the limit of my patience,
how can you hide your pretence?
If all worthless things
suddenly come to an end,
there's little to understand;
let them be memories!
Don't try to stretch the rubber band,
it will hit you hard in the face,
it'll hurt more than David's sling did;
it's time you stopped this mad race!
It's the usual dilemma I'm caught into,
it's the enigma more harmful than a taboo!
If all worthless things
suddenly come to an end,
there's little to understand;
let them be memories!
Courage Categories
Definition | What is Courage in Poetry?
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.
Related Poetry Forms
fearlessness, spunk, grit, daring, endurance, tenacity, audacity, heroism, determination, firmness, prowess, valor, fortitude, spirit, bravery, gallantry, nerve, dauntlessness, backbone, intrepidity, power, temerity, guts, adventurousness, gameness, pluck, recklessness, dash, pugnacity, enterprise, venturesomeness, stoutheartedness, rashness, resolution, mettle, hardihood, élan, adventuresomeness, bravura, lion heartedness,