The engine roars, the metals gleam,
You race along the high-paved line,
To reach the summit of a dream
And claim the sky as yours and mine—
Or so you thought. The climb is steep,
The pace severe, the cold air thin,
And in the rush, you never keep
A tally of the quiet sin.
You build a tower, tall and bright,
A spire of stone against the blue,
With vaulted arches catching light,
Yet holding no one close to you.
For every friend was pushed aside,
And every hand was let go free,
To trade the warmth of love for pride
And secure a lonely victory.
At last the highway finds its end,
The final peak is brought in view;
No waiting crowd, no quiet friend,
No open arms to welcome you.
The crown is earned, the space is vast,
The wind blows sharp across the seat—
A solitary soul at last
Where no one ever cares to meet.
For status is an empty weight,
And power leaves a hollow sound,
If no warm voice can celebrate
The simple truths that you have found.
The prize was never just the height,
Nor standing on the peak alone,
But walking through the heavy night
With hearts that make the journey home.
She quickly readies
The food for quest
Silent in movement
Lest others guess
...I don't belong
He stands at the bar
Eating oatmeal and whey
His wife readies the luggage
As they operate the day
...trying to belong
She gets the phone
And orders maintenance
He sits, without a word
Enduring her boss, with patience
...belonging isn't necessary
He stumbles around
Trying to find his seat
There's a secluded corner
Where he and his friend retreat
...we will NEVER belong
The signal that drives
Every soul to connect
Is the self same vibration
That brings the soul to reject
...belonging
Written by Trudy Schrader on 09-26-2026
In my early teens,
Just turning 14, I gave
My heart to Christ.
It felt so nice.
Indeed, I was reborn.
But subconsciously,
I was torn
Between personal
relationship with Christ
Which brought freedom,
And religiosity with people,
Which permeated my tender
Soul and imprisoned me.
I hasten to say,
That sometimes there are areas grey.
They are enticing, inviting, and subtle.
But grey areas can be very deceptive.
I am grateful that, when still a teen
Of 19, the religious fever with people
Was pealed away and its hypo spirituality
gave way to a relationship with Christ.
No. My relationship is 'not a license'.
Yes. My relationship is 'based in love'.
Oh, present believer or new reciever,
I sincerely beg of you; let not that which
Initially draws you to God be more appealing
Than the simplicity to be found in Christ.
Rust flaked signposts,
from dew-stain,
era enigmatic,
omen, symbol,
scratched by,
yellow fog weather,
floating visual,
or pigment’s,
crumpled inmost span,
waned crossing,
I peer with,
hazed whimsy,
on my prime flush,
streetscape ambit,
what is destination,
but infinity of kismet,
elliptic nudge from afar,
“BLINDLY” lolling in,
circular pursuit,
then founding paradigm,
raise the “BLINDS,”
wisps of unearthly whisper,
almost orange-red robin,
yet impactful brain stroke,
luminous and lucid,
a close kin carols,
your inlying map,
is weatherproof,
absorb urban soundings,
with gut sense hunch
Do you see this home I made,
as well, the streets, houses and moon?
You are just a game I play,
ceasing to exist very soon.
Once out of sight, out of mind;
mere puppets dancing on my strings;
Life is illusion, you'll find
no magic with what freedom brings.
I will create the rainbows
or thunder as my mood dictates;
My rules, nobody knows,
along with all your future fates.
If you deign to interfere
I'll fill you full of distraction;
Better say your prayers right here
and give us both satisfaction.
Miscommunication
I told her she looked elegant
But she just heard elephant
Oh don’t get me wrong I quipped
And before I could stop it slipped from my lip
I do love the pachyderm
‘My mistake,’ I thought, and began to squirm
The look on her face was clear to all
No time to wait no time to stall
I said ‘elegant, the dress is a beaut’
You don’t look fat at all - just nice and cute’
Oh dear I think I just made it worse
Silently she mouthed a curse
To set things aright I must attempt
For from her wrath I am least exempt
‘Elephant is the furthest thing
Your ears aren’t that big and your trunk don’t swing’
I stammered and stuttered
My heart skipped and fluttered
Silent no more ‘YOU’ came the trumpet
My sweet wife became an angry strumpet
All by a word simply mistaken
And so I sleep ne’er to awaken
My pale skin elbows perch on bridge imposing,
upon some ample urban gurgling river’s surge,
a heart palpitating in nostalgic rhythmic vein,
as I recall my auntie aglow in treasured haunt,
who focussed without minimal falter or delay,
at a remote mist enshrouded mystery peak,
lady who communed with transcendant summit,
with rippled laughter, bouncy sumptuous rapture,
she dreamt of sculpting velvet prose in praise but alas,
a woman’s early passing this sudden thwarted foil,
perhaps I might fulfill that sapphire cloud aspiration,
oh how I yearn profoundly for such charisma now,
her colourful asides, witty tinted “INK”-lings,
whose temperament exuded pink pastel
brushstrokes,
petrichor of poignancy that lingering whimsical, spark from my boundless auntie,
a red hue’d stimulus I inherited
She never asked for castles or a love story grand,
Just someone who would always understand.
Someone who’d notice the things left unsaid,
And remember the little thoughts inside her head.
Someone who’d know how she takes her tea,
What makes her smile, what makes her happy.
Who’d bring her flowers on an ordinary day,
Just to see her smile and brighten her way.
She wants to be heard, respected, and known,
To feel that with him, she’s never alone.
A love so gentle, yet fiercely true,
The kind that says, “I’ll always choose you.”
And if the world should laugh and say,
“He’s wrapped around her every day,”
He’d simply smile, without a care,
Because loving her was never a burden to bear.
She doesn’t want someone to rule or possess,
She wants a heart that chooses her happiness.
A love that feels like coming home,
Where two hearts belong, but neither owns.
That’s all she asks, nothing more, nothing less
A love full of warmth, respect, and tenderness.
Someone who loves her, in all that she’ll be,
And makes forever feel easy and free.
I held the broken pieces tight,
Afraid of what the empty space would bring,
Confusing the shadows for light,
And clinging to a bruised and brittle thing.
I prayed for eyes to truly see,
Then turned away when truth began to speak.
Making excuses, bargaining to be
The anchor for a bond already weak.
How easily the heart defends
The familiar ache of carrying what is gone,
Calling it love when someone bends
The spirit until quiet peace is torn.
Yet mercy worked beneath the grief.
The sudden silence wasn’t cold neglect;
It was a shelter, a swift relief,
A sacred wall the Father did erect.
Not every traveler along the way
Is meant to walk the path where grace resides;
Some doors are closed so we don’t stray,
Some hands unclasped to stem the rising tides.
So now I loosen every plea.
I yield the ache, the wondering, the strain
Trusting God, who rescues me
Who never creates a hollow space in vain.
© Deborah Seale 2026
Like paths never meant to cross, we meet as strangers
Like twilight vanishing in minutes, we linger in each other's minds
Like seasons destined to repeat, we hope to meet again
Like those lines that touch but once, we strike in the quietest ways
Stealing glances through the crowd, acting worlds apart
staying calm amidst the chaos, to steady the other's heart
More tangled than a friendship, yet it claims no certain name
perhaps it's only in the mind, where silent truths remain
Like candles flickering out, this could end at any moment
Like winds that build into a storm, our passion takes its turn
Like letters sent but returned, bearing no reply,
Like voids only we heal, these attachments never leave our side!
As cold as my heart is
For a moment I felt heat around it
Could it be he managed to morph me
To something I never dreamt to be
Something sweet, something weak
Something I fear to, on the mirror meet.
Was it the hug so warm to me
That it balanced my homeostasis.
Was it the kiss so passionate
That he began by caressing my cheek
Perhaps when he put on mine his lips
When he slowly, soothingly pleased
My rarely touched skin
I began to have emotions, feelings.
Sudden joy and pain and love and hate trips
Oh dang! What had I done?
Now I look back and beg
To go back in time and rectify
What did not go according to plan
To the me that never cared
To myself which was ne'er fair
To that evil and ugly monster'ess
To as cold as my heart ...was
By Neptune
EROS AND THANATOS
Only we will ever know
The sadness of our love
Like stone climbing ivy
The ramparts far above
What waters it will wake
A cold indifferent lake
Thrashing in the shallows
Crashing in the waves
Smooth, a shell abandoned
Tangled in the weeds
Soft and supple moss
Growing on the trees
What wounded prey to follow
What forests we will stalk
On paths beaten narrow
We alone have walked
A war of resistance
Beaten into dust
Only we will ever know
The sadness of our loss
Potential is not a promise-
and that's all I've seen in you.
I've given every opportunity-
but you've never followed through.
(You once) treated me with kindness-
but I deserve much more.
I deserve a kind of love-
I've not experienced before.
See, I deserve consistency-
and I deserve the truth.
And I deserve my wishes-
(and all of) my dreams to come true.
I've come to learn from my mistakes-
that patience gets you nowhere.
Not when one's committed-
(to serve) themselves; although it's not fair.
(I) love you for many reasons-
and I'm not sure that will change.
But you've shown me by your choices-
you don't love me the same way.
Choices aren't mistakes-
see, they are conscious trains of thought.
You choose to make decisions-
that you know leave me distraught.
So, since you choose to hurt me-
instead of fixing what you've broken...
I choose to walk away-
my sense of worth has been awoken.
Am I a cut-up? Ask my wife
~ Who just got out her carving knife
No one is home.
The address is returned to sender.
The user you desire to speak is no longer available.
To send a numeric page please press five now.
Ferment in the waiting room of life.
The catacombs of the mind are empty.
From the grave they will not rise.
The life you once knew is now fleeted.
You're out of time.
Exhale. Inhale. Exhale again.
False memory is not gospel.
Queue the piano, and bring in some coffee to go.
Crack a smile.
Adjust your tie.
Goodbye.
Relationship Categories
Definition | What is Relationship 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
affair, marriage, exchange, communication, accord, rapport, liaison, contact, link, tie, relation, alliance, similarity, tie in, homogeneity, affiliation, pertinency, ratio, network, nearness, proportion, affinity, interconnection, analogy, relevance