Ohhhh... did you really just do that?
AP: Honorable Mention 2026
I stood in the valley looking to my left then to my right
on one side stood belief tall and strong
on the other stood disbelief saying it's not wrong
belief reached for me with steady hands
disbelief just smiled "don't be a fool"
one path was a narrow cave, I began to shake
the other was inviting and safe
which do I take
With Quran held to my chest, I looked again
the safe path glimmered in the sun
but then I noticed it was a lifeless place
my eyes wandered to the cave where prophets stood
the cave was dark but filled with dreams and ease
I grabbed a hijab, wrapped it around me ready to go
with unsteady feet I took a step
toward the cave, a place that looked uncertain from prying eyes
but the peace of Islam was waiting, welcoming, longing within
The Ruin of Your Wager
You threw your fortunes to the wind,
and laid your bets upon an underachiever.
Did you not look behind the mask?
Did you not weigh the heavy cost?
The ink was dry on history’s page,
the warnings written in the dust.
Yet blindly, you ignored the past wreckage,
and signed away your sacred trust.
Look now upon the quiet ruin.
See how your chosen champion falls.
You backed a beast that thrives on chaos
while silence chokes these empty halls.
Just a quiet thought.
I don't believe in love anymore,
I don't believe in romance and staying
I believe in eyes that hold deceit
and fingertips that trace my skin like tongues full of critique.
I believe in the fire of lust and coveting a trusting heart to conquer
I believe in shifting loyalties and fading desires but more so,
I don't believe in love any longer.
You have no sense
This is all just a lie
That's not how it happened
Tell the truth, don't tell a lie
Jesus entered the upper room
He addressed the men with a smile
The apostles all in disbelief
Look! He's been through such grief
No longer a smile...
Peter said I'll walk in Your shoes a while
Life! oh, what in a life,
Vicious questions without answers,
Continuous flow of disbelief,
fair of urban idiocy.
Only shame on yours self.
Who is more foolish and
Unbelieving than me?
In spite of all humiliation
The eyes find light;
Is there really a way?
It's just war. And losing.
Despondent, heathen people all around.
I am full of of wasted time and failure,
But what is good about it?
There is life, identity,
Insinuation of merciless drama,
Anything more? There is always
Two-lines to write.
A poem of a few lines.
Here I lay as a shadow before you
Of my former self that has been lost forever
They say that time heals all wounds
But not that it doesn't leave scars
See the person that I have now become
And feel ashamed of the damage you caused
Your disbelief makes me feel numb
I can't even be bothered to convince you
Punish me for being the victim
Damage my soul even more then before
Just another consumer of the system
Keeping my eyes trained low to the floor
Death comes swiftly to us all
But to me it couldn't come sooner
As nails pin me here against the wall
And vultures wait in eager anticipation
May curses rain upon the heads of those
Who have amplified my sufferings threefold
Your disbelief is what makes me know
To never trust a soul in this life again
So carry on killing me with disbelief
I can’t believe the love I feel,
Though many years have come and gone,
Since I first felt your tender touch,
When we were young and still together
I loved the girl you were back then,
And love the woman you’ve become –
A caring mother to your kids,
A giving and devoted lover
I can’t believe the love I feel
Grows deeper every passing day,
And soon the miles that keep me here,
Will disappear forever.
They say I am crazy
They claim I am demented
They call me names
And swear vehemently that I have lost it all
I look at them and shake my head in disbelief
How can I convince them
That I am not what they think I am?
How can I make them understand
That I am not insane?
Could they ever believe
That true love intoxicates?
How could they believe
That your love drives me nuts?
More than alcohol could ever do?
A day will come they will understand
That true love is alcoholic!
Oh how, I cry, disdain toward the word,
that gaslights sanity and truth defy.
When hapless, hopeless person, undeterred,
begs ask the question, of the victim, why?
Does thou holdest thee in purest contempt,
whilst quick, to grant, my aggressor pardon?
Lest I, in whom, no violence breathes, attempt,
to find, just cause, yet does, in myself, shun.
Yet still, it is, not I, that strikes the blow,
not I, in whom, is ruled, by selfish gain.
Not mine, the tongue, from which, hate seeds doth grow,
nor my, the hands, whose vice-like grip, chokes pain.
So when, I'm asked, the accusat'ry 'why?'
I'm shook, as you, dispel my truth, as lie.
It all started with the crisp green leaves
Transforming into all that gorgeous fall foliage
With the warm breeze, came
The blooms of sakura
Spring for sale
Then came the sudden rainstorms
Summertime sadness
And the thunderstorms
Lightenin
Burnin everything down
The final blow
Just all that’s leftover for takeout is
Disbelief ‘n’ silence
Tears burnin my skin
In fits of anger ‘n’ despair
Goin back is no option
The unspoken questions
With the silent answers
Words and voice
Hauntin me
Did the heart have to break thrice
For you to come flyin back to me
After many many moons
Now I’m reminded how I
Gave all the f***s I had to give
Gave all the chances I had to give
Lockin the door behind me
Keepin to myself
Make no mistake
Me forever
Hauntin your thoughts
Durin the sleepless nights
Alongside the regrets
Of you leavin me
Doesn’t it hurt so bad?
Doesn’t it hurt so good?
At least I had the last laugh
I speak into
The silence of my own bedroom
Hopefully you can love yourself enough
To love someone else again
An atheistic 'Chief Chaplain' at Harvard
The university's raison d'etre bartered
A divinity school, founded to spread God's word
The goal now, 'equitable neighborhoods'
the day bleeds wings beat
thoughts shattered in disbelief
hands grazing the wrist
a place in the middle of nowhere
nothing to do
nobody to see
only you and me,
and i am digging it
a place in the middle of nowhere
many acres of nothing
no a thing in sight to see
only you and me,
and i am digging it
a place in the middle of nowhere
no list of plans
breezes that are sometimes deadpan to a certain degree
only you and me,
and i am digging it
a place in the middle of nowhere
no type of access
no type of view of ocean, river, lake, or sea
only you and me,
and i am digging it
a place in the middle of nowhere
life slowed all the way down
as unplugged simple as it can possibly be
only you and me,
and i am really digging it
My heart is reaching for you
While my mind is putting up its roadblock
It may startle me, or it may not
If on my soul you did knock
Scared you are really mine
Just feels silly that I would deserve
Hard to wrap my head around
How you wrap around my every nerve
It's scary how one could feel your presence
Days before you even show
I see a stranger im in love with
While your eyes say…
all about me you already know
While I feel a longing for your touch
I am confused, I am terrified
What if you end up being just a live dream
And to my own existence I have lied
Doesn't seem real, you being here
Yet I know it's this way or nothing
I want it this strong or to just remain alone
Yet now I can feel our lives already blending
Did God cheat you out of how wonderful you could be
By placing you to be in love with a kalopsia like me?
I feel so cheap, then I feel so ataraxia about myself
It would be mild to say whats between us is a kilig
But for you I’ll stay…its so simple…i see no other way.
Sub Categories
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.