I was out at sea in a fishing boat,
fishing in calm waters;
standing, I held a rod,
longing for the tug on the line
at the baited hook.
And as I stood there,
I saw everything around me suspended
like an image within a frame;
the white flight of a gull in the air,
the sun’s bright reflection on the water,
the boat’s intoxicating sway upon the foam—
all within the same frame.
At one point, the line was pulled taut,
and the world changed in an instant:
the seagull vanished into the northerly wind,
the sun hid behind the clouds,
the sea turned turbulent,
the fishing boat tossed like a walnut shell on the waves,
and—with such stubbornness—
I struggled to stay upright, clutching my rod.
And as I battled the wild waves,
holding the rod with all my might
against the pull of the line,
suddenly the boat soared like a seagull—
a white sail fluttering where wings should be—
yet, with such stubbornness,
I still held fast to the rod,
fishing for dreams
in the open sea of the frame.
in thirty seconds,
some seventeen thousands dead,
thousands men injured,
and half a million homeless
unlimited God power!!
mid-august sunset
slides away over the edge
~ trail of hues behind
AP: 1st place 2026
Why did you have faith in me?
While in a bleak midwinter
These frozen oceans and sea
As though waves and stutter
Crawls and collapses your nosegay
Arms within arms thrives in you
Thought you would dance along the bay
But you saw pale and got lost its hue
Sulleness heart,the beating heart
Forgots the sound of summers fall
I see the tear from an Agamemnon art
And I remember now your call-
The sleepless night haunt these poor linnet
And the pardon eyes drip the rueful tear
And I travel far and afar till the shadows of bennet
Till I forget you ever by the flower it bear
Imperfections. All that each
Can but emphasize
In its earthly guise.
Angelic world, which reflects
Young woman's beauty
Is this! Is yours! See?
When ravens croak at mid of night
Their echoes spiral to the sky,
A solemn sound shifts on the breeze,
A sullen chill flows in the high.
My mind commences to roam free,
A darkened thought begins to chime
Distant shadows, I start to see,
Or maybe just the turning time.
I sense their voices sharp and deep,
A language I can almost guess,
Secrets that the tree leaves keep,
While the world waltzes warmly to rest.
I listen close and hold my breath,
Shaping myself to greet my plight,
Reminisce life and silent death
In the grim darkness of the night.
Perhaps not death, just quiet rest,
While the weather is cold and grey,
As ravens know what serves me best
To grace the earth anew someday.
Are you having a Mid-Life Awakening?
So many versions of you over time...
Who do you take with you...
Who do you leave behind?
Some who lived, all who survived.
Someone's emerging but they're timid.
Someone old, but new?
It's confusing isn't it... Emerging as the combined and full you.
The one who also made choices that affected others.
The one who's life was often other's collateral damage.
Overlapping realities, do we keep blaming...? Hiding under the covers.
Can we focus our lense, onto ourselves now?
It's okay to be more than you ever could've perceived...
Comprehended even... And to still be a person who has Human needs.
While we awaken to our strengths, let's awaken to our weaknesses...
Let's welcome and make home to being born again without any external forces,
validation or social media butt kisses.
Welcome home, Dear Friend... A young you is proud.
Time to remove yourself from the crowd.
Just briefly, to understand there is a crowd of you within...
Let's sit with them, make home with them and work out who's to walk with you from
now on... And who's to be here with you, to live.
My vibrant white and yellow mums
all wilt when mid-November comes.
Bright swirling leaves of gold and red
will soon lie still upon their bed.
I’ll wait till afternoon to walk
and wear a coat when cold winds stalk.
A Foreign Mouth Feeds Illness
Republican Today October 11th 2025
Dissertates oath as majority vote elected democracy to speak on behalf of itself.
As of mid-October 2025, the U.S. Senate is dominated by legislative inaction due to an ongoing government shutdown and partisan gridlock. The Republican Party holds a 53-47 majority
Hearing free speech in elected office must be across the entire earth or democracy destabilizes and civil unrest creates war within sound unlent.
No munitions need halt?
All minds require halt
Suggestion of internal document
Mid Terms are loses in gains
Capital gains taxes and reductions
Reductions in privatized expansion
If impulse markets
Markets as attempt to bypass work
Work a I'm ready awaiting labor
The noon heat no longer burns like dog days,
Storms now caress the leaves with care and grace,
The roughness of summer night kept at bay,
'Stead calmness, peace and comfort take their place.
The air is hazy, lazy, filled with fun,
Awaiting the chill and darkness of fall,
Now missing kisses of mid-summer's sun,
And cricket's early morning rasping call.
The sky billows brilliant blue with glamour,
The ocean's coolness purifies the air,
Tempting sunbaths silently clamour
For my pale skin on the beach to bask bare.
we thought we were ready
till the unexpected fell upon us
such high expectations
for fun and adventure
plans for get-aways
excursions and discoveries
the days and weeks go by
another summer slips away
AP: 3rd place 2026, Honorable Mention 2025
A Mid-Summer Cosmic Awareness Cry
The blue sky’s white clouds, once happy, became weary;
Tears flowed slowly down until a blinking loud outburst occurred:-
Following this occurrence, cloud teardrops began to fall faster;
And later, it was like those clouds’ eyes became turned facets:-
After a while, these flowing tears gradually came to a dampening halt;
Light blue sky, white clouds, and a brighter sun, all made their return:-
Wow! On this beautiful summer day, nature canvassed a streaming
Equally as beautiful as were the past days of the revered spring rains.
Such amazing awareness it is, how nature canvases the oneness
Of summer and spring’s allegorical messaging of resurrection.
Trickling, trickling the water feature sings
The hydrangeas bloom and the harvest begins
Around the garden and the town some of the leaves are turning
Summer gives a great big sigh, is fall arriving early?
So on this bright mid-summers day
All we can do is hope and pray
That Autumn chills are kept at bay
And sunshine and fun remains in play
Mid Life Crisis
Everything changed over-night.
Paralyzed, by blind sight.
Concerned toward future health.
Phase changing, overwhelmed.
Future, not knowing.
Mid Life crisis, unease.
Trees and birds don’t complain.
Live day by day.
A new bold direction.
Be calm and collective.
Just one day at a time.
Count your blessings.
Hinder to judgment, always worried.
Reflect on life lesions through memories.
At ease is the remedy.
Sound of the pouring rain is calming.
Don’t ponder over your age.
Hold on to what you believe in.
beneath jasmines
green grass snakes crawl leasurely ~
little blossoms smile
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.