Disassembling the structured Tower,
That I have carefully built around me,
Opening up locked away emotions,
In hopes of setting me free.
Fleeting moments passing me by,
Moment sober moments high,
Looking for ways to help define,
The righteous path laid in my mind.
Moving forward limits set,
Don't look back, no regrets,
New paths open begin the trek,
I may stumble but I will not fret.
Closing down my broken ways,
Getting better each new day,
To my Lord I do pray,
The sober times are here to stay.
I wondered where the teardrops go,
Once they have been softly wept.
Do they wander with the winds,
Or rest where Heaven's secrets slept?
I followed one through autumn fields;
It kissed the earth without a sound.
By spring, a bloom of bluebonnets
Had crowned the very place it found.
Another sought an ancient oak
And disappeared beneath its grain.
The tree stood taller year by year,
Made stronger by another rain.
Another reached a stranger's heart
Who smiled though burdened by despair.
It bloomed into a gentle grace
That neither soul knew lingered there.
For every teardrop remembered hope
When I remembered only pain.
It gathered all my broken prayers
And whispered them like summer rain.
For every teardrop remembered love
When I believed that love had flown.
It stitched together thread by thread
The tattered places I'd outgrown.
For every teardrop remembered light
Though all I saw was endless night.
It kept a flame I could not tend
Until the dawn returned my sight.
So, if you wonder where they go,
Do not search the earth or sea.
The tears I thought the world had lost...
Were busy becoming me.
The season slowly changed
from the coldness of winter
to the warmth of spring
the spring did not stay long
it was a wet cold series of days
until the sun began to dry the land
the season brought out greenery
with the green a boost in mood
for the woodland creatures
who survive on insects and plants
flowers began peeking from under cover
to once again reach for the sun's warmth
trees spread their leaves and a canopy
once again gave shelter and cover
birds began to arrive and nest
the area became a musical melody
that spring had finally arrived.
Whispers of Nature’s Soul
Respect the hush of morning dew,
Soft light dancing on blades anew.
Gratitude hums in songbird’s flight,
A harmony woven through soft light.
Truth flows like rivers carving stone,
Silent, steady, forever known.
Honor stands like ancient trees,
Rooted deep with quiet ease.
Incredulity clouds the sky,
Yet wild winds teach us to fly.
Leaves whisper secrets as they fall,
Nature’s truths speak clear to all.
Respect the frost on trembling grass,
Gratitude in shadows cast.
Truth is found in open skies,
Honor gleams in eagle’s eyes.
Incredulity fades to dawn,
When night surrenders, light is drawn.
Nature’s voice is soft and clear,
A vow of love we hold dear.
Norman Van Etten
Spring approaches slow and tentative.
Sunshine warms the air gently cradling sprouts.
It's been worth the wait.
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
AP: 3rd place 2026
We have our strengths,
we have our quirks... and
together we're quite the team.
Let's just agree that
you keep being you
and I'll keep being me.
AP: Honorable Mention 2026
"Sunshine's rousing cheers echo the day in as clouds move made anew." Quote by poet
Rain is coming, and the sky is gray.
Staring out the window while nature is waiting
For the welcoming rain this season of May.
The first drops fall, earthly petrichor weighing
In palms, hooking to surface of plants and dry soil.
Like bubbles, falling droplets are captivating.
Stunning with strokes of raindrops enhancing the soil.
Flowers, a vibrant ambience, rousing the day.
Climbing old stones, vines adorn that weave and coil.
Once clouds have purged, air is fresh, and sun rays spray.
Refreshing rain rests upon the earth's breast;
Blue jays, red cardinals, and hummingbirds play.
Days chuckle; plump latent seedbeds nest.
While frisky squirrels bound across seeds that rest.
To observe once is a blessing.
To observe twice, doubly more.
Thrice is pushing your luck too far,
and four times is much too much;
Much, too much to
mourn.
Four times is worse,
four times a curse,
four times so clever in
view and in pleasure.
The fourth time you see
the way things truly are:
the syrup dripping from
the table in such a perfect
pile.
Copacetic in nature,
sweet, sweet denial.
The fourth time you’ll know,
in body and soul, that you’ve
been given a pretty thing only
for it to be taken away.
They said he was finished, his moment long gone,
Buried by headlines from dusk until dawn;
Yet voices of millions rang clear and concise —
A nation stood up for its freedom and rights.
From truck stops and town halls to docks in the rain,
Came Americans done with endless disdain;
They chose not the noise of the ruling class curse,
But a banner that reads: AMERICA FIRST.
Drill bits were turning, pipelines ran fast,
Energy freedom reclaimed at last;
Supply chains anchored in red, white, and blue,
Building again what Americans do.
No longer apologies spoken abroad,
But strength without bluster and peace built on God;
NATO found clarity, rivals took heed —
Firm hands & clear purpose, virtues we need.
Two hundred fifty years carved into stone,
From muskets at dawn to a nation full-grown;
The same rebel spirit still runs in our veins —
Self-rule, strong borders, and freedom sustained.
So mark this return not of man, but of sense:
Of duty and limits, of prudent defense;
Love him or not, one truth now rings clear —
America First is why hope reappeared.
RENEWAL OF REASON
flourish
&
convey
sensitive
ideas
progressive
consequences
in
competing
conceptions
inseparable
unflagging
understandings
of
stimulated
sentiment
The years I let slowly steep
were quietly astringent
and on the road where I lingered
I wandered into side paths
that left a faint, stinging trace of regret
I also met a brief sunshower
its light thinned by the red of evening
but when a lifetime turned full circle
and something in me began again
there was no need
to keep my ties wrapped
like a scarf at my throat
for the end and the beginning of life
lean toward one another
and kindle
like a candle in still air
The change winds blow,
Goodbye, brightest snow.
Hello, warmer days,
Crisp mornings and sun rays.
Seems an Ice Age past
Since we saw each other last.
And did you bring anything
'Cept this urge to sing?
You were never good
At wrapping gifts,
As you knew it would;
It makes my spirits lift.
Tied in ribbon, bound with string,
I can already tell,
With cheering bell,
It's spring.
The cross you bear was never mine to carry.
You must go that road alone.
I know it's scary.
But babe, I'm not the fix-you fairy.
Calvary was a sacrifice of love.
And only the good things come from above.
Heavy is your cross as are your sins.
Bow your head, close your eyes.
That's where you begin.
Accepting what is as is, poised as such,
animating our focused attention,
negating thoughts that we may learn by touch,
embracing and releasing sensation,
grace in-pours in the void of cessation.
Ego depends on thoughts, which we release,
flowing easily like the nameless breeze,
seeking no authorship on words we pen,
bliss magnetism causing heart to unfreeze,
mood and mode displaying stillness of zen.
I reject another year
of not knowing where
two thousand & twenty five
planted seeds of inspiration
that stayed buried
in the curated soil of hope…
The cemetery of dead dreams
Suffocated by dirt.
I don’t mourn
I’ll begin again and plant
two thousand and twenty six
dreams that didn’t die.
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.