Sun set a little quicker this eve
A crimson fire that blinked my eye
And wind held me and kissed goodbye
Autumn seems like a stranger now
It was much softer as a child
The whisper of a mothers call
Floated down alleys and gulleys
And met with a collective sigh
But now as the autumn of my life
Invades like a September dawn
It brings a reflective pause
As the could have's and should haves
Litter like confetti leaves around my root
But I notice more, I listen more
To the sights and sounds
That passed by in a previous child
Now bagged up with a seasoned string
For winter grips tightly to the unprepared
© Andrew Mears 2025
Don't give up, don't let go
In this life there is more to know
Learn each day, find a way
Just be counted, have your say
Take that test, try your best
Push yourself against the rest
Scale the height, do it right
Be the one to fight that fight
Look within, then begin
Give it all, go all in
Then you'll find, that your mind
Will open wide and not be blind
Take the care, be aware
Life is good if you only share
Be the one when the race is run
Stand up proud when you have won
©? Andrew Mears 2025
I am but a poet.
A rhyming cavalier
Expressing words I'm thinking
Until my mind is clear
Counting all the syllables
The consonants and the nouns
Letting my emotions run freely
Through villages and towns
I am but a poet.
The words that I create
Are written with a passion
So others can relate
They fill the head with magic
Bring laughs and tears alike
Expressing all your feelings
When stood up on an open mic
I am but a poet.
Not Shakespeare, if you please.
Sonnets are not my forte
Odes not my expertise
I am a free thinker
Scribing poems to make you think
Of nature and our planet
Putting my frustrations down in ink
I am but a poet.
With each sentence that I write
Are pieces of my being
My emotions in plain sight
Building up a picture
Where my thoughts are at
Filling empty pages
With every this and that
I am but a poet.
My words float on the air
Flying to its suitor
With each stanza that I share
Bringing a different feeling
To each and every soul
I am but a poet
And rhyming is my goal
©? Andrew Mears 2024
Today I counted my blessings
First day in a while
Sadness left me for a few hours
The quietness soothed
No thoughts, no regrets
A cloud stayed at home
The clock chimed
News clung to an empty page
And misery took a day off
Today I counted my fortune
Riches held no worth
Coins float through fingers
Palm collected air
No doorbell ringing
Phone in silent mode
Anxiety had to wait
There on the pavement
So much left to say
Today I counted what mattered
A language understood
Kindness visited
A friend, guiding me
Bodies climbed from the shadows
Condescending eyes
They muttered in sign
Their gestures are ignored
Insults fell on stony path
Today I counted lessons
Laughter returned, unexpected
I didn't recognise it
We had been divorced a while
Tears flowed, drowning, lost
They are now labelled 'yesterday'
Hands grip the doorknob
Sunlight blinds me
Hello world, please may I return?
©? Andrew Mears 2024
It's Covid time, no-one's feeling very fab,
At Covid time, we wear a mask and have the jab
And in our world of Covid, we could spread it to everyone
Don't throw your arms around them at Covid time
But stay at home, even self isolate,
At Covid time - no risks, do not leave it to fate
There's a world outside your bubble
And it's lacking our pubs and beer
Where the only ale that's flowing
Is some homebrew by Ray Mears
And the Covid app that pings
Heralds two weeks now stuck at home
Well tonight thank Gove my pint's head's little foam
And there won't be open pubs in town this Lockdown time
The greatest gift we hope is bottled beer
The Messiah drops by
There is no need to cry
Do they know it's Lockdown time at all?
Cheers to you…
Raise a glass to Dave and Debs,
Cheers to them
Orders by text, or web,
Do they know its lockdown time at all?
Drink the Beer!
Drink the Beer!
Drink the Beer!
Drink the Beer!
Drink the Beer!
Let them know it's Drinking time again
Drink the Beer!
Let them know it's Drinking time again
Drink the Beer!
Let them know it's Drinking time again
Drink the Beer!
Let them know it's Drinking time again
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.