Written: September 29, 2025, for a contest sponsored by: Regina Mcintosh
**********
You're the only family left to hold my hand,
Three loyal souls who understand.
You're brothers born of choice, not of blood;
And lift me up above the rising flood.
You text me just to check if I am well,
You foreknow the secrets that I never tell.
You sit with me when panic starts to rise;
And wipe the heavy teardrops from my eyes.
We laugh until our aching stomachs hurt,
You pulled my buried spirit from the dirt.
We share our clothes and dream of the years;
And you traded all my terror for their cheers.
You're the haven I truly feel safe;
Not anymore a dreary, roving waif.
You're the chasm of favor who won't bend;
Since my honest kin is my friend.
Words struck my soul, and chills my bone;
I claim this fragile life to be my own.
Words fading as a shadow in the night;
And guide my heavy spirit to the light.
The mirror shows a person who is whole,
A steady warmth is filling up my soul.
Not skinny, weak, or fragile as before;
And I am not invisible anymore.
A shadow follows me around,
And stretches long across
the ground.
It jumps when I jump in the
air,
And sits beside me on my
chair,
But never makes a single
sound.
My sweet dog is my best pal, for sure.
For every sadness, he's got the cure.
No matter how deeply I fall,
his love will guide me through it all.
He's a saint, so angelic, so pure.
To the theatre went me and my pal
For a concert that turned out to be swell
We listened to a fab lady singer
Who left us with memories that linger.
The singer came down the steps, off the stage
A request to the audience she made
"Would someone wish to come and sing for me"
It was me put my hand up instantly.
Agreed I’m no singer, but it was dark
I sang out loud from somewhere in my heart
It was a magical moment in time
The enchanted night was meant to be mine.
I’d had the best hours of my life ever
Unrepeatable moments to treasure
People came to dance with me in the aisle
Saying I should be on stage all the while.
It was my moment, never to repeat
'Twas sensational, to say the very least
That momentous night still stays in my head
The unrepeatable moment, so blessed, so blessed.
A letter for me
Came out of the blue,
Written by hand
Just like I do
Dear Me, it read
How are you today?,
Is your weather sunny
Or cloudy and gray?
I dropped you a line
Since we never talk,
Let's get together
Maybe go for a walk
Write me a few lines
Whenever you can,
And by the way...
I'm your biggest fan
P. S. I love you
More than you know,
Signed Sincerely,
Your Shadow...
I sit in a double recliner
my pal Beau is next to me, we are hip to hip
He is a retriever, we call them English cremes
Because he is not golden, he is more marshmallow-looking
He is my baby, I am his mama
A spoiled dog who traded one mama for another mama
I wouldn’t have it any other way
Sliding into the night clouds of sleep
Hoping to find an ever refreshing peace
The veil of day has melted fast away
My mind has to find relief and makes way
I try not to think too hard on issues
Nor leave the tv on imagination misused
For some nightmares come from tv
And I don’t want that in my sleep
So I relax listen to the familiar night sounds
Cars passing, jets thrashing, barking hounds
This is when my pen inspires inky words of blue
Next thing I know I’m writing still, it’s after two
Sometimes it’s a masterpiece sometimes fluff
But I can say surely it is a passion I’m full of
I rose up this morning with Trappist-1.
In the place I live, it's like your sun.
I don't take where I live for granite.
How are things going on your planet?
Cranberry garlands the Christmas tree
Piña empanadas and gifts of filigree
Children’s faces aglow
Kissing ‘neath the mistletoe
Midnight mass tradition with family
Flights have been cancelled call the hotels!
Humbug to last minute changes and jingle bells
Lil black dress doesn’t fit
BYO Test My Drink Kit
It’s pub night with my standby drinking pals
Merry Christmas
Joyeux Noël
Feliz Navidad
Happy Hanukkah
Happy Kwanzaa!
Shadow,
Deceptive pal
Presenting darkness as light,
silencing courage with tears’ veil
Depart.
I love you
Like I love life
As the poet
Loves his words
I love you like the rainbow
Meets the clouds to chat with birds
I love you laughing loudly
I love you when you call
When you flourish
When you're happy
When you need me, most of all
For this love declaring poem
Isn't scary to extreme
There's a place in every moment
For a friendly heart
To dream
For I love you
When I'm sleeping
Or the middle of the day
Love is simply a connection
That may never drift away
So save yourself some bother
Just relax
And know it's true
I don't need reciprocation
All I need to know is you
CV 25.5.24
She walked above the clouds, high on the hill
Rough as the water, soft as the rock.
Rose above the drowning night,
Shining above the gleaming light!
A line of pure, book-honored
She was a poem herself
Realizing through the war of chases.
On a random night of songs,
She is the one I pick to dance to!
Sat writing this, in memory of my pal Danny K
Just a few pints and a couple packets crisps, is what we used to say
I just wanted you to know, ill be forever grateful that we met
Ill hold on to the memories we made, all too good to forget
So much left to say, now there just words left unspoken
Hard to believe your really gone, many hearts left broken
You changed my life in ways you'll never know
Absolutely devastated it was your time to go
Off up to paradise pal, where they only take the best
May you be at peace, may you be at rest
Life is going on just like that
We lose and also at times get
One day, we register success
Next day, God does not bless
We all get twenty four hours
Daily on this vast Universe
Some face utter failure
Many somehow endure
We know not others' worries
We may even plan to tease
Struggling souls may be quiet
But, their thoughts make riot
Their face will deeply smile
Though in life they will fail
They will appear damn strong
But, fate will do them only wrong
Their tears are just concealed
They are by God never healed
They do not cry or weep
They may not even sleep
We may see the outer appearance
And think that they lack real sense
Great war, their emotions ever face
To the World, that does not surface
This is the system of the Almighty
He blesses one doing one's duty
Tomorrow when comes a jolly fellow
Inside, his mood may be damn low
So be kind to all equally
That is loved by God really.
St Paddy’s day elf had a secret pal
He wished it would have been his cousin Al.
It was actually a bunny, which was kind of weird.
For when he thought of the rodent, it appeared.
You must be magic, he said, leprechaun-like, right?
The bunny held on to his leg, and he held on tight.
It was difficult to sneak a gift to the little guy.
He shows up day and night the elf said with a sigh.
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.