A silent scream spreads through the night,
A bittersweet joy in the darkness,
In a world of sour sweetness,
Joyful sadness waltzes bright.
A deafening whisper calls us near,
While noisy silence fills the day;
Jumbo shrimp and icy flames,
They play their little big matches.
Living dead and peaceful strife,
A false truth in everyday life,
An awkward relaxed grace, a surprise,
Truthful lies hide in plain sight.
With cruel kindness, we laugh as we cry,
with open secrets that`re not hidden,
A false reality touches the air,
An uncertain certainty spreads apace.
In shameless honour, a giggle grows,
As chaotic order settles,
Across untimely time and space,
Where grave funny oxymorons lie.
Poetry Wheel Challenge:
Theme: Destiny
Emotion: Joy
Color: Sapphire
Season: Midwinter
Form: Free Verse
Object: Crown
Verb: Carry
Created using the PoetrySoup Poetry Wheel
Its my time to Soar
On eagles wings and fly
Above the sapphire sky
This Midwinter time of year
My crown is full of coloured dazzling~ sparkles
Glowing for all to see
Such joy I feel inside of me
I carry the love for my soup friends
Deep in this Scottish heart of mine
Not just at Midwinters time
Every day of every month ,year
I just love being here to share
My time for destiny is now
For such a time as this
I write from depth of heart ~ soul
Showing love, joy, kindness to all
O God, we celebrate what you have done:
The wonder of your kindnesses and grace;
The goodness Jesus shows to everyone
Whom he’s redeemed from Satan’s tight embrace.
Our longing, hungry hearts you satisfy;
You free us from our prisons of remorse.
You calm the raging storms that terrify;
With grateful courage we can stay the course.
Your wondrous kindness when we cry in need
Delivers us from sickness and from death.
It’s caused our feeble efforts to succeed;
It gives us time to rest and catch our breath.
For this extraordinary charity,
We’ll give you thanks for all eternity.
Sometimes jokes are hurtful.
They're not as funny as we think.
Everyone appreciates a caring comment.
There's so much more to gain
from being considerate and kind.
AP: 2nd place 2026, Honorable Mention 2026
Two houses sit side by side on a quiet residential street.
In one, lives a man with an unlatched gate,
always ready to pause his lawnmower
to ask how your mother is doing,
offering a spare hand when it appears one is needed,
or leaving a basket of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers on the porch step
just because the harvest was good.
In the other lives a shade-peeker, a shadow behind pulled blinds,
who measures his property line down to the inch,
grumbling heavily under his breath when an autumn leaf crosses the boundary,
starting his car engine, revving with an intentional roar,
building a higher fence
out of a quiet, lingering spite.
For years, the coldness attempts to stake its claim,
trying to choke out the light with petty grievances
and silent, harsh glances.
Yet bitterness only locks a person inside their own small fortress,
leaving them alone with the echoes of their own noise,
and barring the door from the inside.
When the real storms roll through,
it isn't the tall fence or the sharp words that hold fast.
The stubborn, simple kindness wins out every time,
outlasting the cold
and leaving a light on in the dark.
Emergency waiting area.
Someone in pain.
Someone in anguish.
Someone goes over and gently rubs their back.
Someone not long for this world calls me darling.
Kindness.
We get sadistic,
As per the passage of time;
We must pay for it.
old hands count the coins
quiet morning passes by
someone helps today
Prompt "Funeral of fireflies"
Funeral of Fireflies
Winter
Bites
The street
A jute bag
Bare feet bleed
Torn cloth holds no warmth
Hunger walks beside him like a shadow
His eyes are small fires begging someone to buy bread and bring heat
But hope dies
Like sun
On a cold
Mountain peak
Snow falls, silent
He wraps himself in jute, a coffin
At midnight fireworks bloom while the world forgets
A boy dies at twelve with light still trapped in his eyes, a firefly no one cupped
The city drinks
And laughs
Above his
Frozen grave
We buried
Kindness
Tonight the last fireflies went out
Kindness kindles quiet light where lonely shadows fade.
Kept promises become warm bridges no storm can wash away.
Keen hearts discover joy in giving more than taking.
Kisses of dawn remind us every ending welcomes hope.
Kinship grows strongest through gentle words and patient hands.
Knowing we are loved gives courage to face tomorrow's climb.
Keep love alive, for every shared smile plants tomorrow's sunshine.
Wrote this today sitting at Coniston Water I'm blessed to live in a very beautiful place. Picture on my homepage is steamboat on Coniston Water.
C oniston Water simply breathtaking
O h the joy of nature, sets my heart on fire
N ever felt such peace and beauty
I n everything I do I thank God for peace
S imply mindblowing views all around me
T his is the best life to be free to be me
O h what bliss, oh what joy
N ew dimensions to life I feel today
W atching people's faces, fascinates me
A nd every face tells a different story
T heir eyes say it all, joy,love,hurt, pain
E verlasting peace, joy, love I wish on everyone
R eally just ooze kindness out my eyes to all
I love nature, Water, flowers, trees. Today my camera been so happy clicking away so merrily, capturing beauty everywhere.
I See You For Your Soul
I see you for your soul and all that goes with it,
I see you for your smiling eyes and tender lines of grit,
I see the way you move and treat your fellow man...
For it's down within the soul that the truest essence brings
Love and tenderness and all the finer things.
I see the caring heart of you, and all your saving grace,
I see the many tears you've cried left streaming down your face.
I see the mark you leave on those that you hold dear,
And leave them always wishing they could have you standing near.
But the biggest and the best of all you know,
Is the giant place where you leave love for it to grow.
You never have to hide from me, or play a different role,
Forever and completely, I see you for your soul.
— Debra
The wise often say,
what goes around comes around—
circles keep their word
one kindness completes a round,
returning on next cycle.
Bad karma lingers
only while the lesson sleeps—
turn the wheel with care,
one kind act with open arms
can loosen yesterday's knots.
Gaia watches still—
not with anger, nor with praise,
but with patient roots—
every footprint, every deed,
done with care, reaps worthy praise.
Wispy lines and gentle corners
a trail of haziness over my shoulder ~
kindness and forgiveness leave their residue
AP: Honorable Mention 2026
Kindness is a rare, unpolished gem,
A steady, quiet spark
Hidden deep inside us.
It is an open, reaching hand
Extended with no strings attached.
It is a whisper of solace,
A living action aiming to mend,
Marking forever—not in silence—
What the gesture made flawless.
It is fiercely resilient,
Refusing to make excuses.
It is a quiet fire
Guided by bravery,
Burning for everyone to see.
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