I like friendly, friendly is nice
The wave, the nod, the smile's the fuel we use to get through life
Restores faith in humanity, reduces the insanity of social fabric fraying
Courtesy and manners, just like your mother said
Aren't less important now, just because you got ahead
Payback is reciprocal and karma's always cyclical
Cynical's inimical to the prosper you can foster if you follow her advice
The wave, the nod, the wink's the link, the lubricant of life
It shortens all the miles and trials, the troubles and the strife
The longer that it takes to learn, the more you let the candle burn
Clock's been ticking, what's been licking soon's been licked
No wick is going to outlive its turn upon the wheel of life
As morning had begun little bird flew into men's house
Greeting sunrise with a gentle melody, a testimony of love
As it sang its song, tears filled the men's eyes
What is it that something so fragile can wake up both fear and delight?
Letting it go would be the closest to death as it comes
'I put you in a cage, maybe sometime soon you will sing for me again'
The days passed, weeks, months, eventually little bird sang his last notes
'superfluous for love to be so violent, I would have stayed if only you'd watered your garden'
Now nights are peaceful
as if there were no ritual
of saying goodnight.
I never thought I would do so well with an older man
He understands me better than any young man can
He's done with lies and toying with a woman's mind
He's looking for love from a lady of a certain kind
Its a privilege to know that I'm someone he likes
That im someone with whom he wants to spend his life
He fondles my thoughts and heart because he's very expressive
When he shares his words of experience it's very impressive
He listens to my words with his heart and not with his ears
He's not afraid to open up and tell me what he fears
He takes nothing for granted and he appreciates me
Helping me grow into the woman that I would like to be
He treats me like a gem and gives me protection
Hes very gentle with me and shows me affection
He does these things in a way that I never experienced before
When I experienced him romantically he touched me to the core
He has a way with me that takes my breath away
He sends my pulses running in every single way
He's has captured my heart because he's different from the rest
He's much older, true, but his love is the best
If I had it my way I would choose him all over again
I'm amazed I'm so compatible with this older man.
Being a good man, or person in general,
Is simpler to define than actually do.
It’s really just three qualities
That even a child knows to be true;
Kindness, honesty, willingness to work hard.
Understanding this may be childishly simple
But the doing takes a lifetime to realize.
(4/22/26)
It's shade not of night,
It's a rest from the flight
A poem more holy than any from page
A play with more grace than what makes the stage
More reverence there than buttress can bring
From the ground to the arch, apart from the wing
More grandeur than even more lofty a spire
More solid in nature than we can conspire
Giving shade through the day and rest through the night
For all who have need to retire from flight
It's a loss, there's no doubt
Whether storm, ice, or drought
Cellular, cellulose, wearing a crown
Grown all the way up… to only come down
When it's time to leave the sky to the wind
The leaves and the branches no longer to bend
Thence came the life that gave life to the lyre
That would raise up a canopy meant to inspire
More than a point, or a joint, or an arch
The oak and the elm, the maple and larch
Are reduced, as all things which sprang from the dust
To the fruit we produce to provide what we must
When it's time to be borne on the shoulder it's best
To have taken a stand between restless and rest
What we leave's what we're made of, leaf, branch, or tome
Make the most of your time, for we all join the loam
I say I’m independent
but I’m lonely when alone
I say I don’t need you
but want to see ur name calling my phone
every time you call
I say oh no not again
meanwhile I’m wishing I could answer
i still say I love you in my head
I tell my girls it’s over
deep down I want it to be true
instead I’m addicted to your poison
still inhaling every one of your fumes
i hate you but still want you
how is that not toxic?
you make me cry then you make me cum
I swear that be psychotic
I shoulda kept you blocked
moved on and dissapeared
show you I’m better off
and not let the fake interfere
I know they all be judging
, I would be too
screaming out “ITS FOR THE BETTER ”
when Deep down my heart knows it’s true
We started talking like it was no big deal,
Laughing at jokes, trading what we feel.
He asked how my day went, I asked the same,
Maybe this could be more than a game.
He smiled at the things I’d say,
We messaged back and forth all day.
So I showed him my world, unique and loud
The things I love and what I’m into.
But then his replies started coming slow,
Short and cold, like he didn’t know
How to handle the real me inside,
So he pulled back, stopped the ride.
He didn’t say we’re through,
Just left like none of it was true.
I sat there wondering if I was too much,
For simply being who I was.
I’m done erasing what I love
Just to be liked at all
If being real means he walks away,
Then he was never meant to stay.
I’m not a mask you wear for fun,
Then ditch the moment you’re done.
I’m worth someone who wants all of me,
Not just the parts they’re willing to see.
So if it starts again with a simple “hi,”
I’ll be myself and won’t ask why.
If he stays, then good that’s my cue,
If not, I’ll be just fine without you.
I am now in my.middle age,and some will say,
' You are getting old.'
But as of yet, I have not looked into a mirror
That has cast its cold eye on me and declared,
' You are beginning to look old'.
Nor have I encountered a bicycle,that prior to boarding, has warned,
' Ride at your own risk,you are too old'.
Nor has a muffled voice whispered in my brain,
,'Act your age,accept.you are old'.
And as my.whole story is not yet told,
I,as of yet,cannot grow old.
(“Field of Dreams - Flanders 2017”, 2020, original oil)
We live in an age of extreme selfishness
An age where empowerment
Choice and determination
Are the key words
To make us feel good
About making it all about ourself.
But the truth remains
Regardless of how independent
We want to be
There are others who care about us
As much as and sometimes more
Than we care about ourselves.
And at some point
We come to realize
Our lives are actually about them.
(11/11/25)
It sneaks up on all of us
Imperceptibly at first
But dawning slowly over time
Until it's time we took a hard look
In the mirror… and faced the truth
It's inescapable
It happens to all of us
First born, last born
People, places, governments, movements, principalities
It catches up with all
We must confront what we've become
Has the age of enlightenment become the age of entanglement?
That many-legged arachnid known as truth
Waits silently at the edge of the web… that tangled one we weave
When wonder becomes plunder, and balance becomes challenge
And the age of reason becomes likened unto treason
Who do we deceive… and what will be consumed?
Growing up to fast,
Coming of age.
Both about maturity but different
One witnessed something they were not supposed to see, while the other saw when ready
One forced to be a man, the other gradually becoming a man
One having a parent who would mentally abuse, while the other has two amazing parents
One having to work hard just to get a tiny bit of affection or recognition, while the other does not need to try
Growing up to quickly and Coming of age both involve maturity and growing up but are they really the same?
When love is good,
it's really great.
Unfortunately for most
when the sparkle fades,
they don't know how to fix it.
Seems easier for many
to clear the slate and
go for instant gratification
of finding someone new.
They're addicted to
easy pickings and
the high of novelty.
The other side of that coin
is they are cursed to never
experience the depth
of true and lasting love.
AP: 3rd place 2026, Honorable Mention 2025
As time passes there is also a change in view
You don't do the same things that you used to do
You learn from your mistakes as you mature
You seem to learn patience as you endure
Things don't hurt you the way that they used to
You're leaning on a higher source just to get through
Remember to allow the time to heal all pain
Because failures keeps you from remaining the same
Allowing time to pass is what helps you to grow
Making bad decisions is the only way you will know
People you deal with help you learn life's lessons
As time passes you will see the greater blessings
Humility would always be needed as you're learning
Teaching you to slow down and always be discerning
As you get older you start to see a greater you
As time passes you learn what and what not to do..
Each passing day puts on display
a puzzle piece of jigsaw soul.
Providing parts to add to hearts,
from halfway done to fully whole.
The bygone years are souvenirs,
the trinkets of a time gone by;
though caked with rust, dried blood, and dust,
they stain, then fade, but never die.
The decades roll and ring a toll
for lessons taught but slowly learned.
Experience, with common sense,
shall grow, rebuilding bridges burned.
The wisdom found on weathered ground
repays, with interest, youthful debt.
Each piece a shred, profusely bled,
but, joined as one, a finished set.
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.