Best Stepping Poems
Under your heavenly gaze magic appears perfect
a thousand whispers sail through the oceans current
each wave warmly echoes of a sun filled promise
Our time is held when precious jewels they glimmer
every breath gasps breathless holding dearest soul
where the silken ribbons circle around a gift tied
wrapped within angel rays floating inside heartbeats
Categories:
stepping, angel, baptism, beautiful, blessing,
Form:
Free verse
I had never felt a part of the we
Not sure how I was supposed to be
I stood on tiptoes trying to see
Wondering if there was room for me
I floated at the edges like smoke
Laughing imperceptibly at a joke
Wanting to be like other folk
Yet in my own silence I would soak
Wondering if others felt the same way
Lost between words that people say
Wondering if they should leave or stay
Just wanting, wishing for a part to play
It took a smile a glint in an eye
Looking at me, I wondered why
Then he walked over and said hi
His name was Joe a regular guy
All it took was two to be a we
Before long two became twenty three
They were okay with me being me
All of us different that was the key
Within a group I learned how to be
The me within the we
Categories:
stepping, best friend,
Form:
Rhyme
What wondrous goal makes tiny planet Earth
a stepping stone in life's eternal sea?
What spectral promise gives its journey worth
as it conforms to cosmic destiny?
What tireless pulse gives rhythm to its flight
beyond the steady rule of moon and sun?
What answer to the never-ending plight
of why and where and how it was begun?
Alive within my beating human heart
there dwells solution that can end the quest,
for born of God, I know the truth in part...
He lodged it there with grace within my breast.
From earth-life end, I step to hallowed lands,
where my Creator waits with outstretched hands.
Sandra M. Haight
~1st Place~
Premiere Contest: Contest No. 231
Sponsor: Brian Strand
Judged: 11/01/2016
~2nd Place~
Contest: Where To You Think You Will Spend Eternity?
Sponsor: Laura Leiser
Judged: 09/15/2015
Categories:
stepping, death, heaven, life, planet,
Form:
Sonnet
Stepping Through Time
I
find that
I’m dancing
with a tall man.
Joy floods my soul, for
I am with my hero!
He’s awkward and lanky, but
his arm is strong around my waist.
As he smiles down at me, I recall
people had called him homely. Could they not
see - emanating from his dark eyes -
integrity’s beauty? I dare
touch his shaven face, longing
to tell him how special
he is and how one
day, he will be
wearing a
handsome
beard!
Feb. 5, 2017
for the Stepping Through Time Poetry Contest of Kim Rodrigues
Categories:
stepping, hero,
Form:
Etheree
The day fast fades
the end draws near
our time is fleeting
so brief and so dear
Over and over
I longed for you so
the longing unanswered
and so I must go
I gave you my life
you gave me my death
in very small portions
between every breath
You ravaged my heart
and invaded my mind
an addiction so sweet
a torment unkind
The truth is masked
where your comforts abound
and rigor sets in
when your pleasures are found
So now I must flee
for my very life
lest you kill me with kindness
that cuts like a knife
I pray for the darkness
for fear I'll be trapped
in the lingering glimmer
of your charms enrapt
My sudden departure
is not without tears
our dysfunctional union
did last many years
I'm leaving your world
I shall not be back
I head for the brightness
as you fade to black
You once used me
and now I'll use you
as a hard stepping stone
to a life brand new
Categories:
stepping, life, love hurts, moving
Form:
Rhyme
A gauzy haze rises from the flickering gas light,
revealing the face of a blushing coquette.
Stepping through time in voluminous dress, bustled and bowed,
a petite silhouette.
She offers her hand to the handsome uniformed, callow cadet.
She moves with eloquence, poise and grace;
He, smitten by her charming demeanor, peaceful, porcelain, angelic face.
Flustered at first, heart pounding accepting his advances,
a gentle kiss and lingering embraces.
The afternoon brought festivities of equestrian competition.
Young cadets, eager to advance, entered to raise their rank and position;
His prowess boasted by the charm of his lady admirer's recognition.
She arrives in a brimmed bonnet, settling in her seat, vying for clear view;
Awaiting her chivalrous cavalier,
preparing, taking position, for the race to ensue.
A shot is fired, she sees him from afar,
waving his silk flag of gold, green and blue.
Gallant and proud, spurring his steady steed without yield.
Thunderous hooves in a cloud of dust, neck and neck as he rounds the field;
Pursing only, the love of his lady, and winning the coveted, golden shield.
February 6, 2017 For Stepping Through Time Contest, February 22, 2017
Categories:
stepping, imagery, love, romance,
Form:
Rhyme
Stepping Over The Problem
I make my bed
on the street
Curled in a doorway
under your feet
You step over me
we're unlikely to meet
I'm covered in newspaper
sometimes a plastic sheet
trying to hold onto warmth
just a small amount of heat
Kelowna's councillors
they are so wise
They vote to shield
your delicate eyes
But where should we go
can't they hear our cries
Who will help them change perception
so they realize
they too one day
might fall on hard times
Then they might hope
a different logic applies
Instead vote on solutions
We too want a home
Do they think this is our first choice
sleeping in a doorway all alone
Can't they see we want food and comfort
or have their hearts turned to stone
Instead they'll equip a ticket giver
with a dumbphone
Because a few groan
Saying they don't feel safe
as I inconveniently suffer and moan.
Maybe next time
When you walk down the street
It will only be rich people you'll meet
I won't be sitting with a cup
begging for something to eat
the sad face you couldn't see
from your mind erased
Everything will seem perfect
nothing out of place
Or perhaps if you really cared
I'd have a proper place to sleep
with a bed and roof
and yes a bit of precious heat.
In response to Kelowna Council's decision to ban the homeless from sleeping on the streets.
Categories:
stepping, addiction, angst, discrimination, judgement,
Form:
Rhyme
I must carry this torch down to the cave
To shed light upon the walls of my heart
For, if not, I will take it to my grave
And on that path may make an early start
I cannot think of love, when love is what
Consumes my every thought in every hour
I gambled all I have and took my shot
Chanced my wretched life to fate’s cruel power
But love is what I deeply need to give
My life is not my own unless it’s shared
This aching heart with which I have to live
Must find his mate if he’s to be repaired
But first I must let go the one I crave
And leave this burning torch within the cave ~
Categories:
stepping, angst, confusion, lovelife, love,
Form:
Sonnet
Stepping out of time
I tried to make you jealous
As it slowly broke my heart
Every time the music played
it tore my soul apart
As I walked in the room
I put on my biggest smile
The love songs I wished were ours
played on the DJ,s dial
The music had a sultry beat
the night had a subtle glow
Strong hands held me oh so close
Yet it was you're love I wished to know
All the time I danced with him
You coulda tapped his shoulder
I tried so hard to make you jealous
in hopes it would make you bolder
But step by step you walked away
with each step it broke my heart
every beat that the music played
slowly ripped my soul apart
He expressed words I wished were yours
beautiful words whispered in my ear
Yet as we circled round the room
it was only you I wanted near
My thoughts of you they lingered
with each song I slowly died
I longed for your familiar hands
if only you had tried
I wanted to make you jealous
Step by step you walked away
my strategy it backfired
I wish I could reclaim yesterday!
Chuck Melugin wrote a piece titled "One Song at a Time" that I quite enjoyed. I thought what if like most men we don't have a clue what is going through a woman's mind. So I wrote this piece from the woman's perspective. Ladies, I hope I have done okay here. Chuck I hope I have not been to bold by expanding on your amazing write.
Categories:
stepping, angst, body, dance,
Form:
Lyric
Maybe Someday
In a honky tonk in Denver forty years ago
I taught a strange brunette beauty how to dance real slow.
Our eyes had met and locked when the lights were way down low.
I was sure I knew her but just how I did not know.
We spoke not a word as we swayed slowly to and fro,
Her perfume had an eastern touch, Boston maybe so.
Her iv'ry skin was perfect with that soft radiant glow
That comes from satin sheets and a sailor's salt air blow.
Our bodies moved to music that said she won't say no,
We laughed together when they did the Cotton - Eyed Joe.
Then she was gone - disappeared -and left a note just so.
It said, "Thank you, cowboy! Maybe someday - Jackie O."
1/23/2017
Categories:
stepping, dance,
Form:
Monorhyme
Beneath the passage of the sun
I surrender thoughts to a mindless haze
and turn my eyes around to gaze
upon the wave of rolling hills,
where tender grass is ever growing--
Where cattle graze, with sounds of lowing
among the fragrant flowers, wild
I will smile and play, just like a child..
and will try my best, with careful step
to crush not life, not even one...
For in the blades of tender grass
that turns to gold upon the fall
are villages, in burrows small
Their lives must count, both great and small,
where smallest ants cast long dark shadows,
and workers strive to build a shelter
Each precious life, that forges hallows
are made by God, forever hallowed
I will smile and play, just like a child..
and will try my best, with careful step
to crush no life, not even one...
Categories:
stepping, happiness, nature,
Form:
Free verse
All year I wait- anticipate the
rusting of the leaves.....the
mad disorder of them blowing
filling up the eaves
I long to brace against the chill
with woodsmoke in the air.
and walk these orange corridors
where all the trees are bare.
As I step this cushioned path at year’s end
suddenly aware of time that’s gone
I’m thankful for the wisdom to endure
all that winter and heaven may be holding.
Fall into Fall
Written 9/19/19
Contest Judged: 9/22/2019 3:44:00 PM
Sponsored by: Chantelle Anne Cooke
3rd. Place
Categories:
stepping, autumn, remember, seasons,
Form:
Verse
Meandering past dusk
Within my solace of dreams
Across this garden of roses and vine
Luminous and vibrant
Yearning life anxiously
Each a soft dreaming infant
Stepping amid buds and blossoms
Extolling the blushing rose
Oblivious to shoots crushed under my feet
I render innocent futures extinct
Categories:
stepping, death, imagination, introspection, loss,
Form:
Free verse
A warped board on a bench seat
causing discomfort
to an old bum, an aching foot,
a touch of pity all came to keep me
self-sealed inside a bag of skin.
I took no note of the river
almost licking at my feet,
the evening's prayerful quiet,
the sky slowly switching on
its nightly extravaganza of stars.
I was too far into myself
to see past my rim.
One can get lost in a stare,
that blank, formless blur
reflecting the endless distances
stretching across the self.
I was bubbled there.
Then slowly things happened,
a tugboat went past, seagulls
protested my presence,
the smell of river mud
thickened the air.
I stepped out and saw
an old man on a bench seat
who I have long known,
brushed the dandruff
from his shoulders,
helped him up and walked
him home.
Categories:
stepping, eve, river, self,
Form:
Free verse
Divorcing self from awful negatives
I step ahead, bouncing through God’s power
Gladly inspired with cheerful directives
To share love's bliss and peace of grace-shower.
Triumphing against selfishness-trial
Freeing from “me-I-mine” so prison-bound
To reach-out for others, sans betrayal
My heart sows goodness seeds on kindness-ground.
Persisting against vain personal gain
I join with fellows midst blest partnership
Prevailing against separation-pain
Creating new vibrant relationship.
*2 John 1:3 Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
May 16, 2025
8th place, "Divorced" Poetry Writing Premiere Contest
Sponsored by Kai Michael Neumann; judged on 5/27/2025
Categories:
stepping, blessing, christian, divorce, faith,
Form:
Rhyme