I am the man who had the feet of clay
All these years later, I feel I must confess
I’m the reason that you couldn’t stay.
Fearful, immature, and selfish to this day,
I loved you truly, but I caused you distress.
I am the man who has the feet of clay.
I was hurt, and I had hurtful things to say,
but the fault was surely mine, no more, no less.
I’m the reason that you couldn’t stay.
That you’ve found love and happiness, I pray.
This, my dear, I can honestly express -
I, the man who has the feet of clay.
I ruminate on all I threw away,
and the life of love that we could not possess.
I’m the reason that you couldn’t stay.
In my heart, I know at last, now old and gray,
why I never saw you in a wedding dress.
I’m the reason that you couldn’t stay.
Yours, with love, the man with feet of clay.
1. The Thing I Never Said
My aunt Pat sewed one for me
She loved my aunt Louise
Neither of them were aunts to me
The frog full of corn still dangles
over a trophy for a marathon of mine
I didn’t win or remember,
but I hope she is remembered more
than what she left me
when I was too young
to see that frogs
and being
are more than uncooked corn
This heart keeps beating
even when I tell it to stop
You deserve more than corn
I cannot count your kernels
to match your character
but I will try for longevity here
while lines match
the strenuous longevity
of my limited kernels;
vocabulary
Perhaps I'll Know Your Love
Perhaps the light of day comes with a golden ray,
to push the heavy shadows to the side...
Just let me come on home.
Let me finally unload this pain.
Perhaps you'll look past these scars...
and the tears I try so hard to hide,
emotions of a weary soul
hurting deep inside.
Perhaps a life will have love,
not pretending to be...
Every word rolls off the tongue
to carry me, or pull me to your side.
Perhaps someday these pieces will mend,
with reaching arms that can hold
this fragile love that we know.
Perhaps someday my smile no longer fades,
or falls exhausted by my side...
screaming I'm alright.
Perhaps I write these words of love,
praying that you will finally see
the love I've held for you...
Perhaps, someday, I won't pretend to be someone you knew.
Perhaps, someday, you'll love me too.
Debra
This look in my eyes is all i have sometimes.
The fact that she can see my soul and I'm grateful.
Those times they see a revealing fear
that turns into a fearless drive.
she will see what i have is hers
she will see a want for greatness that i need her to be apart of
A yielding smile
A glance of gleam
A bounce full of joy
A glaring vison and dream
She's chaotic
Vigorous and playfully vicious
Unpredictable and all wound up
Safely zealous, energetic and always driven
In spite of my limits
I found what moves me so
The love of a woman
Good, true and grace in bond
I challenge myself to stay challenged
As the sun slips behind the horizon
my mind slips behind my courage
all my best moments are with her
She's chaotic
Vigorous and playfully vicious
Unpredictable and all wound up
Safely zealous, energetic and always driven
She's all i can take and I'm glad
And maybe,
After we perish,
We will finally collide
Not bound by destiny,
But rather by the specks of dirt we're buried beneath.
They say,
Togetherness is contagious,
But Infirmity never claimed me
For our flesh had remained strangers to one another.
We never shaped the lives we dreamt of.
We forgot to be while becoming.
Yet,
In the core of the earth,
somehow, we find each other,
Tangled in the asthenosphere.
it's the only thing we share;
Death, dirt, and desire.
We were never each other's in life,
Yet the earth made us one in death.
You came into my life
like a hunger I never knew I had,
and somehow
I began craving something
I could never have.
There was something beautiful
about the danger in you,
something I knew
I should stay away from,
yet still found myself
walking closer.
Maybe I saw myself in you.
The darkness,
the loneliness,
the parts we keep hidden
behind a smile.
You were never mine,
but somehow
you left pieces of yourself
inside me.
And now I wonder—
was I drawn to you
because you were different,
or because you carried
the same emptiness
I had been trying to hide?
Maybe some people
are not meant to stay.
Maybe they're only meant
to awaken something in us,
then leave us
to deal with the hunger
they created.
And if that's what you were—
I still don't regret
meeting you.
outcasts
orphans
they found home in each other
always together
never far
Distance was never a problem
Two peas in a Pod
those twos
they have been friends since forever
people would pair them up
while they tried to catch the train
life flew by in the same manner
Distance became a problem
she got into science
while he got into art
she was practical
always thinking
he was delusional
always writing
playing pranks
while she got into trouble
trying to get him out
playing keep away with her glasses
while she punches him in the gut
she could bear anything but his tears
while he could bear anything but her anger
losing her, his only fear
Now do you think distance could be an obstacle
writing was his passion
while she was his need
c'mon
letters they wrote everyday
regardless of the weather
Now people will twist it
by saying it was love letters
but should i tell you what was written in them
I am getting married
you better attend
Why is my heart always full of chaos?
As if it meant to stay in a cage,
Thinking it will come to pass
And filling my mind with a unwritten page.
A rush of sweet dizziness conquer my heart,
It always makes me to run away
Like trying to make a piece of art
But it seems my love wants to fade away.
The day and years are my witness,
As if asking the Lord who I am
I don't know how my feelings need your warmness
Hoping you see just as I am.
Fermata
-----------------
By:El Amore Lover
-----------------------------
Being with you is my favorite feeling
loving you is the best thing
we've ever done
easy going and non frustrating
loving you is so much fun
aint gotta stop before starting
actually it's great communicating
My love for you aint lost in interuptation
my love for you is an occasion
my love for you
your love for me
My first hello
the hardest see ya'll later
be back in a while
to see that smile
Darling I'll call you later
can't wai to be
just you and me
got me rushing through the day
Kiss when I'm home
we're alone
Darling what else is it for for
me to say
Ha quella qualità dirompente
qualcosa che il mondo deve vedere
qualcosa di così straordinario
è ciò che desidero ardentemente
è ciò che desidero ardentemente
Appears alone under the mad moonlight.
Moves melodically with inept inertia
Faceless flora, shapeless sapiens
Kissing clandestine by the elderly elk.
Hands hurried with precise passion
Cutting curfew is non-negotiable.
Infant inception in dark destinies.
He Was a Child Once, Too
He was a child once, too—
before the dusk outgrew the dawn,
before his little hands knew
how much a heart could carry on.
A face once lived beyond his sight,
then slipped away from memory’s light;
and childhood, like a fading tune,
grew quiet beneath a borrowed moon.
He became a roof in someone’s rain,
a little warmth against their pain;
he gave his flame so others could see,
while darkness kept a place for him silently.
He wore the years like a borrowed coat,
kept every storm inside his throat;
and though the world saw strength in him,
I know the child still lives within.
To me, that man is not merely strong—
he is the real hero of my life.
I love you, Abu.
— Zehreen
THE ALMOST
Your eyes spoke more before you said a word,
your smile shone bright before your name was known.
I remember those eyes that looked with love,
I remember those moments more than my own.
Every moment, every word
had light, love, and shyness,
till both of us came to know
our hearts were meant to beat together.
We learnt each other's laughter,
those dreams filled with you,
those momentary pleasures of love
that fluttered my heart like a dove.
I noted everything down,
in the back of my mind,
wishing someday
you would become mine.
I thought you would stay till the end,
but I don't know what made your heart bend.
For everything that ever happened
filled my heart with the almost.
And the only thing I did
was break into pieces.
But wasn't it too late to realise
that the thing was my unwavering trust?
I still remember those moments, but now,
those eyes turned away from me without a word.
Your smile faded,
as your lips no longer shaped my name.
Your eyes spoke less
before you left me unheard.
~solace ash
Two people that I love the most Are standing on two different shores, And I am stranded in between, Trying to mend a quiet war.
Avery looks me in the eyes And tells me , "You shouldn't have to be in the middle of this." But how can I just walk away And pretend that I am blind, When every harsh and heavy word Leaves both of them behind?
Liyah feels the distance grow, She thinks that Avery’s moved along, Traded years of memories For a place where he belongs. She sees him take up all the space, She feels forgotten in the shade, Watching from a step behind At every plan they ever made.
I know the truth of how it goes— I’ve seen how Avery tries to reach, Inviting her to come along, To walk beside us in the halls. But when he shows up in the frame, The distance starts to slowly grow Avery drifts into his pace, And Liyah lets her footsteps slow.
It’s not as simple as a fault, It’s heavy feelings misaligned. I want to protect Liyah's heart, So I keep what I see inside. I cannot pick a side to take, I cannot turn and walk away, So I will stand right in the middle, Hoping love will find a way.
We sat through sixth-grade classes, we sat at lunch side by side, Laughing through the hallways, taking life in stride. Then came the quiet day you had to say goodbye, And years went rushing past as time was flying by.
Now high school's finally here, the halls are huge and new, And nothing feels as bright as being back with you. Two freshmen starting over, right where we left off, With every inside joke and every shared-in laugh.
You’ve always been the sweetest, a anchor in the storm, And now a brand-new chapter is starting to take form. With a baby on the way, a little light to guide, I know you'll be amazing with that sweet heart inside.
Just yesterday you handed me a gift I’ll keep in mind, My very first real phone, the best I’d ever find. It’s got a couple scuffs, a little beaten and worn, But to me it is a treasure from the day that it was born.
I’ve never had one of my own to text or scroll or call, And having it from you makes it the greatest thing of all. Through every shift and change, no matter where we roam, Having a friend like Avery always feels like coming home.
Senescence ongoing
Biological to the core
Cellular and systemic
Even genes mutate
Creeps in on you
Like a thief at night
Movement deliberate
Your thoughts too
The new kids run
Outpacing you
The final stretch
Never ending
Energy flagging
Redeemed by love
Unconditional and true
As you kick to the end
Love Categories
Read wonderful love poetry on the following sub-topics:
acrostic, alliteration, anniversary, autumn, ballad, boyfriend, break up, brother, cat, chocolate, christian, cinquain, classic, couplet, daughter, elegy, eros, family, father, fiance, free verse, friendship, funny, girlfriend, god, granddaughter, grandson, haiku, husband, I love you, in loving memory, limerick, lyric, miss you, mother, narrative, ode, personification, prose, quatrain, rhyme, romantic, sad, sexy, sister, son, sonnet, spring, summer, tanka, teen, true love, valentines day, wedding, wife, winter,
and more.
Definition | What is Love in Poetry?
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.
Related Poetry Forms
admire, affection, appreciation, care for, cherish, choose, devotion, embrace, emotion, feel, fondness, friendship, go for, infatuation, kiss, lover, lust, passion, prefer, prize, respect, taste, tenderness, treasure, worship, yearning