We have so much to give thanks for
every day, God's blessings are great
if we just stop and try to count them
nothing's too hard to put on our plate
Things we receive may be small
but thanks should be given for them
for all things come from our creator
whether big or small, God sends gems
God is so great to His people
abundant giving is the Lord of all
so we must give Him all our praise
His blessings make us all ten feet tall
The greatest blessing is our salvation
thank Jesus always for His great love
this took Him all the way to Calvary
paid the price for our redemption from above
Filling our hearts with thankfulness
having God's assurance that we are His own
so give all the glory He deserves
send all praise to His eternal throne
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.”
peppermint Pauline persuaded perky puppies to prance their
prissy paws politely in Pennsylvania’s puppy parish. Perhaps Pauline
proved puppies are not as persnickety when they are prancing?
Splish Splash... the water's dancing
AP: Honorable Mention 2026
Having Friends Who Truly Care For You
Kevin Davis 2026
Having friends who truly care for you
Is one of life’s great gifts in all we do.
To know you can turn to, with open ears,
And share with them your joys and fears.
Some have had friends there since their birth,
Sisters and brothers who know their worth.
Others you meet along life’s way,
Who touch your heart and help you stay.
They walk beside you through highs and lows,
Through sudden storms and gentle snows.
They lift you up when hope feels thin,
And cheer the quiet strength within.
With laughter shared and tears that fall,
They answer when you need to call.
No perfect words, no grand display—
Just being there from day to day.
And though our paths may twist or bend,
Time cannot break a faithful friend.
For love once given, tried, and true,
Lives on in all that friends help you do.
playing chicken with couch potato
bring home the bacon with two peas in a pod
in a pickle with forbidden fruit
full of beans with egg on my face
go bananas with sour grapes
cream of the crop with dangling carrots
cool as a cucumber with apple of my eye
crying over spilt milk with raising a toast
spill the beans with cheesy jokes
“Mark! Mark!
Talk to him!
Every night
I almost
have a heart attack! “
"To pause, if just once, with just
Enough time to spend
With God, through a tree, tree frog
Already a friend;
With life moving in a sprint?"
(A wildfire's footprint!).
Now older, and slower now
Your excuse is, man?
To not so, nor that briefly
Doing other than
Whose love, for to contemplate
Your's did animate?
Sitting on the same
Wooden bench with thorns
I see the water flowing
I feel the breeze pass gently by
That familiar thought surfaces
..are you living
I sleep, I wake, I dress
I go to work, I cook,
I clean, I bathe
But where am I
Lost in all these behaviors
My words, limp around
...trying to breathe
Something is missing
Connection comes...and goes
No place to land
A space to call home
I'm a nomad in my own skin
Wanting to feel
...whole...again
What is that
I hear a noise
Like a thump, space, thump
A drum beating
Deep within my chest
Calling me to come rest
...in heart
Written by Trudy Schrader on 02-23-2026
Hefty lefty lever trademark arc
Bazball achiever didn't embark
Whooping hooping looping shark
Hark that howling hallmark bark
Whizzing tizzing fizzing spark
Disembark batters off the park
Stoking smoking poking lark
Scary lairy fairy benchmark
Another sarky snark remark
In-jagger ragger dagger stark
Mighty Blighty's lights gone dark
Stagger..swagger malarkey of STARC!
the rent’s late again,
the ashtray’s full,
the bottle’s empty,
and the woman on the couch
is talking about love
like it’s a grocery list.
the cat’s hungry,
the dog’s sick,
the kids I never planned
write letters I never open—
they always start the same way,
“hi dad, remember me?”
I work when I can,
drink when I must,
and lie when it’s easiest.
truth doesn’t pay the bills,
and the landlord doesn’t
take sincerity for currency.
I used to think I was
building a kingdom—
turns out it’s just
a pile of bottles and cigarettes buts..
still, something in me
keeps striking matches
in the dark—
keeps making promises
I can’t afford to keep,
keeps reaching out
to hold another life,
like maybe this time
I’ll get it right.
but the morning always comes,
and I find the same man
in the mirror—
tired,
half-drunk,
still trying to love
the whole damn world
on an empty wallet.
we're evolving from bowling ball to basketball to having a ball.
Use my room document for the night
Then return my room key and insurance documents to me by hand
Hanover Maryland
Yours Without Having You"
As solitude surrounds me,
I still feel the whispers...
of your presence.
Soft.
Haunting.
Like a memory...
not yet made.
In a fleeting moment of joy,
you hush my fears.
You stir…
a calm I never knew lived in me.
Then
An epiphany strikes.
Like the sun,
piercing
my skin.
Sudden.
Warm.
Unforgettable.
But still
a deep sadness lingers
in my soul.
Because I know...
I can never
call you mine.
Resilience?
Baby…
it slips through my fingers
like smoke.
I am not built
to hold
what I cannot keep.
And these dreams I dream of you
They are too ethereal
for this world.
Too delicate.
Too soft.
Too beautiful
for hands like mine.
benign bewitchment beyond bibble-babble bias
between boisterous besties backed by bandwagon bandits
bamboozled both boldfaced barefooted brothers
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.