The static hums across the floor,
A heavy sound behind the door.
The city sleeps in quiet grey,
Before the breaking of the day.
An engine turns, a pulse takes hold,
A warmth that cuts through winter’s cold.
The shadows stretch, then yield to light,
And wash away the weight of night.
Something shifts beneath the stone,
A quiet force, yet fully grown.
Standing tall against the air,
A brand new dawn begins right there.
It starts small~
a sigh sharp enough to slice drywall,
a muttered well I never,
then a dramatic shuffle of papers
that did absolutely nothing wrong.
Then the arms cross.
The eyebrows rise.
The soul leaves the body
for a brief smoke break.
Suddenly this fully grown human~
tax-paying, grocery-shopping,
responsible-for-a-mortgage human~
is having a full-tilt hissy fit
because the Wi-Fi blinked
or someone said calm down.
There’s foot tapping.
There’s theatrical breathing.
There’s a moment where they stare
into the middle distance
like a pioneer widow
who just broke the last jar of peaches.
And you stand there thinking,
Lord help us,
the toddler has escaped
and taken over the adult body.
But eventually~
after the sighs,
the flutters,
the tragic monologue
about how no one understands
the gravity of the situation~
they return to themselves,
smooth their shirt,
clear their throat,
and say with great dignity,
“I’m fine now.”
In this process of holy
One must always submit
As long as you tithe
No sin is necessary to admit
Walk around with authority
No self-doubt permitted
No guilt or shame
Over violence you've committed
When the pool of healing
Is stirred by angels unknown
Jump in with full assurance
That you, my brother, are fully grown
A shepherd in good standing
Fully approved by god
To herd your lambs at will
And utilize that staff and rod
When others get out of line
Though you are worse than they
Only God himself is over you
So, not one of them can say, to you, NAY!
...this is the contract you signed
Written by Trudy Schrader on 06-07-2026
I called me a worm.
A caterpillar.
I told me to molt.
Become someone different,
And unfamiliar.
Wrapped in a cocoon,
And turned into goo.
In a stage of growth,
And that can hurt the most,
But I’ll pry myself out.
Im something strange,
Something changed,
Less deranged,
But similar.
Still I just feel like goo.
A froglet to frog,
Larva to pupa,
Tadpole to toad.
Even termites show growth.
One day,
I’ll be fully grown.
So I’ll spread my wings,
Not,
Because I told me to.
Not,
Because I said I should.
Not,
Because I said I would.
But,
Because I’m ready to be shown.
For now though,
For now,
I have no issue,
Being goo.
Being twenty, family's your concern
All the time worked as an eager beaver
Forgot your weariness in their dimples
A blend of love and shouldering duties
They have flown away like fully grown gulls
The lens you view life through is very clear
No regrets! Your love's still immutable.
Place: 4th
Hush, little songbird,
The world’s an awful place,
And we have decided
You won’t find your own way.
Hush, little songbird,
Stay in our wings,
For we were the ones that made you,
We must be your everything.
Hush, little songbird,
It’s not your time to fly.
You’re not like the others,
The height would make you cry.
Hush, little songbird,
Don’t sever your past,
We have built you an army,
Which you’ll one day outlast.
Hush, little songbird,
And never make a fuss.
You sing with such beauty,
But you can’t be enough.
Hush, little songbird,
And please stay the same.
We don’t want to see, your life succeed,
You’re perfect when you’re tamed.
Hush, little songbird,
Our voice is in your head.
There’s no one more, to give you scorn,
But you won’t leave the dread.
Poor, little songbird,
Now fully grown.
You only loved, who lived above,
So now you’re stuck alone.
A songbird in hiding,
Your life is your own.
‘Let the honor and the money of your friend
be as dear to you as your own’*
~ speaks of friendship fully grown
____________________________________________________
*A combination-condensation of two statements
in the Talmud: Pirkey Avos 2: 15 & 17
Born into a culture
Geared toward work
Any slack
Got a smack and a smirk
Money coming in
Went to household bills
No sense dreamin'
When the children needed meals
The longer one traveled
Down the road of duty
The more removed
The heart disconnected from life's beauty
By the time independence came
The chains were securely in place
More of the illusion practiced
To prevent public disgrace
Bound to work that demands
A heart to numb and survive
The TRUTH of LOVE
Invites surrender to be fully alive
To leave the familiar
And walk in the unknown
Requires a surrendered trust
To grow, until fully grown
...not useful, but LOVED and KNOWN
Written by Trudy Schrader on 01-28-2026
There was a sweet beloved great-grandma.
She had a rambunctious granddaughter.
The young woman had found her dharma,
To find the one her soul knew since forever.
Though her grandchild was now fully grown,
She always would worry for her and pray.
The young woman found a love she's known
From eons ago, then met on an autumn day.
The grandmother's livelihood began to burn.
The grandchild realized soon she'll be gone.
After leaves fell, she invited her to return
To her homeland buried in snow that shone.
The prodigal granddaughter was returned
Into one more visit before God takes her.
She had a sweet life the grandchild yearned.
She's in her all of her memories forever.
i'm a small flower
a seed gifted to you by the universe
meant to grow under your care
flourish
people don't like getting seeds
they don't want to plant them
to care for them
to be responsible
they'd rather have a fully grown flower
no work, easy
put water in a vase, leave it to wilt
slowly watching it die
only watching
not interacting
as life slips away
why didn't you try to save me?
i could've been so beautiful
if only you wanted to plant me
help me grow
care
people don't really like getting flowers
flowers die
i died
why am i temporary in everyone's life?
I know you have an entire life that's your own,
Even though I am lonely, though not entirely alone,
Just wishing I knew if what we have will be fully grown.
When friends suggested, “Try cocaine!”
Mike’s “No” would reckon choice.
His mom ignored his new campaign;
rebuff became Mike’s voice.
Having seen his mom at crack's expense,
Mike felt all alone and under duress,
stranger to the world of common sense;
he started drinking to excess.
Long gone, his dad had been a souse
and likely binges somewhere yet.
Young Mike had cursed this selfish louse
through years of mixed regret.
In time, mom met her bitter demise
asleep at the wheel from drug abuse.
Shaken, this event opened Mike's eyes
struggling, he echoed “No!” to booze.
Parental hindrance gone, Mike gained
perception, a faith formerly unknown.
He found pardon, patience, peace unfeigned,
Loss ridden-out, his resolve fully grown.
but..."the road to success is always under construction."
quote by Lily Tomlin.
Everything feels like it’s right,
There’s no reason to take flight,
Yet inside, it’s not quite right,
Still feels heavy, not quite light.
I said “yes,” or so I thought,
But something keeps me standing still.
I want to give You all I’ve got,
Yet part of me resists Your will.
You see me trying to let go,
But there is still something below,
A weight I can’t quite shake,
A chain I have yet to break.
Forgive me, Lord,
For holding back my soul.
This fear is like a rope;
It is tied tight, out of control.
But nothing is too hard for You.
In weakness, You make me strong.
In sadness, You bring comfort;
In You, I belong.
So I’ll release this lingering fear,
Though the path ahead’s not always clear.
Your plans remain above my own;
In You, my trust is fully grown.
You provide, sustain, and heal.
You fill the gaps I try to conceal.
You called, You chose despite my doubt;
Who am I to shut You out?
So here I am; I trust You, for real.
Lead me, Lord, and shape my will.
I long for more of only You,
More of You in all I do.
it is all about perspective I believe
not that my faith is big enough yet
but a short while ago which
seems like an eternity right now
my problems seemed as large
as I could have ever imagined in
self-inflicted short-sightedness
today they appear to me like
a fully grown elephant squeezed
into a miniature bird cage
the feeder quite empty apart
from nutrition for the truncated beast
key thrown away with no way to escape
pull out tray full of detritus
bar spacing tightly wound together
replacement thumb screws digging deep
into my skin parchment heart and soul
they say when it rains it pours
I was not prepared for the deluge however
apocalyptic floods and overflowing torrents
locked in a weir bursting all it contains
one more dry tear
and my drowning is complete
maybe someone can rescue
the cage and the trapped animal
Clouded and shrouded in mist
Hear the Misty Mountains moan
From their peaks they spend their time
Scoffing at hills fully grown
Rumbling and grumbling all day
As they watch the clouds go by
Their arrogance knows no end
Till they're humbled by the sky
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.