Restraint Poems | Examples

List of Member Poems

The First Sip of Coffee

I gazed at the warmth
in your smile,
careful not to meet your eyes,
stepping back just enough
to stay in control.

Sitting on the balcony, 
waiting to watch 
your first sip of coffee, 
where sunlight touched your skin, 
and I lost my balance quietly.

I could choose to touch,
embrace,
even choose to love you.

I didn't.

This fleeting moment
is too fragile
to endure a touch. 

Longing to become 
two statues mirroring each other,
hung from a cathedral, 
resisting time.

Thousands would cross between us, 
yet I would remain fixed on you.   
Witnessing uncountable battles
over the centuries, 
gazing at the fractures in you.

Beneath loud voices in prayer, 
and still I would find 
your silence.

When our time comes,
even reduced to dust,
we would resist.

Paralyzed in memory,
frozen in pictures made of us,
carried through stories
that will age before us.

In that stillness,
I would hold nothing of the world.
A simple move
would be impossible.

Still—
I would have you.

Now—
I realize
I was yours too.

War and Peace

War
Brewing
On the verge
With one own self
Mirror tells no lies
Staring back in despair
Heart races with time in hope
The demon in me does not wake
From the deep slumber of my conscience
Breaking the shackles of my remorse
To prey on the less suspecting
And rejoice at their anguish
Avenging every scar
Inflicted on me
And returning
To dust; Yields -
To death;
Peace.

A Sage’s Restraint

In that spoof, let wakeful eyes attend,
The sly concealed to serve their secret will;
So wise compeers will learn and not pretend
Shunning the loins’ demands pressing them still.

Scratchy urges fade, if ignored with the mind,
Till spring returns with tender buds soft and pure;
Then they shall till the fields, not more confined,
Escaping plights which insane minds procure.

Then will it be you whose veins fret with grief,
Who bawls for loss, bitter and snarling in pain,
Who squandered wealth on coquettes, vainly brief,
Then howls in rue as though beset by bane

So try, sketch a life with utter restraint,
Debasing dignity is but constraint.


Rights Reserved


Interval

If I return to the drink I meant to quit
emptiness waits

Yet the soul grows thicker
why

Even if liquor knows where it belongs
it must be taken alone
like a wolf

Tracing the time that slipped away
what I had to hold on to
was the hour of drinking

It spoke of shedding the shell
worn thin by years
cradling the bottle
and speaking of Palau

The crumpled self
boarding the airport bus

did he shed his skin

Why I let that dim self go
even when I ask the rain
I still do not know

Hands I Cannot Hold

Do you know how painful it is
to see your heart ache
and not be able to reach it?
All I can do is kneel
and pray.

I cried when I surrendered you to Him,
because I could not lay my hand in yours,
could not let you feel my heart.

It is heavy, seeing you unhappy,
wanting to trade anything
just to see you smile again.

But you also have your walls,
your choices.

So I bend my knees,
weep quietly,
and lift your pain to God.

I learned that I am not heartless,
not cruel,
for refusing to burn myself
to keep someone else warm.

So I release the pain.
I loosen my grip.
I let it go to Him,
to the One who can reach you
where I never could.

Self Control

It is the Mind’s own Meadow —
Where Tempest loves to play —
A Creature — calm — till Reason blinks —
Then — tosses Wrath — away —

The Will — a frail Commander —
Upon a surging Sea —
Who charts the Waves — with trembling hands —
Yet begs — for Clemency —

Desire — the subtle Siren —
That hums beneath the skin —
And whispers — “Yield — just once, dear Heart —
No harm — in little Sin” —

To Master — such Rebellion —
Requires a sweeter Chain —
The Soul — must bind its Longing —
And smile — through mortal Pain —


Premium Member The Double Bind

The sharpest words are often words unspoken –  
Hurt bestowed by a double bind  
—Bruised by silence.  

Wanton desire to be a double entendre –  
A quiet imprisoned reprieve  
—An empathetic, bound choice.  

My vote has been cast in restraint –  
In the still of the love I carry  
—Averting the cost of my voice.

The Unraveling of Restraint

A mind untrained to a state of exquisite harmony, he moves with careful awareness, yet boldly uninhibited.

She listens with ease, confident in his direction.

Grounded in solitude, her only peace is his presence.

Her sanity circles kin, while distancing her from Truth.

She plants seeds for them to season; for this, she smiles.

A continued closeness she seeks, with the hope it doesn't fade.

His essence, only she clearly sees.

Muted Song

His lips parted,
yet the notes clung,
threaded in silence
by invisible keys.

The song stayed,
in a nest of aches,
where wishes fluttered
with no hope of flight.

He hummed,
but no one heard
the melody curled
beneath spoken noise.

They praised
his calm, his quiet,
and manly things
he always played.

Never knowing
his practiced hush
was a wretched note
never to be sang aloud.

He nodded,
clapped in soft time,
while his ribcage beat
a slow mourning tune.

Some songs bloom
like flowers aloud,
but his grew in pain,
rooted deep in hush.

Still it throbbed,
a muted plea—
just once, a tune
to be heard and freed.

Time

A timeless infinity
Stretches in all directions...
Reaches high
But finds a ceiling,
Reaches low
But finds a floor --
This timelessness is only horizontal
It reaches for the goal
But dissolves it in water
Before it can be grounded
In a surreal place
Of touches and smells
But no sounds, no tastes, no visions...
If I am hearty, then forgive me,
For I do not belong here,
Far from the wind...
For senses, I prefer all the five,
Grounding me in a dun reality
That can always fit
Like an old pair of gloves.
There is no death but failure,
And there is no failure but death.

Premium Member The Tin Pan of Woe

The eating of pie before dinner,
It isn’t on point to get thinner.
It’s best to let go
That tin pan of woe,
And be a calorical winner.

Premium Member The hostages are human'

Its a reggresive sight to see the condition of hostages
Being released by hamas?? Its a sad counterpoint to the
Whole sad situation.' And gnaws away at hope of there
Being any good solution, any way to sanity..For barbarisam will
But destroy all souls that employ it.' Enough.!! Time to
Consider on our humanity surely' and the positives it can
Facilitate.'

Silence Cuts Deep

Words rest on my tongue,
sharp and heavy,
like shattered glass,
aching to spill.

But as they press against my lips,
ready to slice their way out,
a voice pulls me back:
They are not worthy of your fire.

And I pause.
I ask myself—
what’s stronger?
The urge to make them bleed,
or the strength to walk away
and let their silence swallow them whole?

Premium Member An Alliterative Pursuit Of A Lover

An Alliterative Pursuit Of A Lover

I will firstly frankly forwardly forthrightly fastidiously befriend you.
Then I will completely correctly courteously candidly chastely court you.
Then whencesoever I have wonderfully wackily warmly wooingly won wed you,
I’ll be free to laughingly longingly lustily lecherously lasciviously licentiously lengthily ~ly ~ly ~ly ~ly ~ly ~ly ~ly ~ly ~ly ~ly ~ly ~ly ~ly ~ly ~ly ~ly ~ly 
Gladly gently graciously gratefully gallantly grandly greatly love you forever.

Voice of Restraint

"Am I the All You Need?"
Slow to detect His voice,
my fists are clenched to hit.
Do I require restraints?
I'm mad enough to spit.

"Am I the All You Need? "
The prompt now clearly heard.
Yet still I rave and rant -
discerning God’s clear "STOP"
searing sparks to supplant.

"Am I the All You Need?"
incessant, faint but firm.
My selfish wrath delayed;
I sense a greater threat.
Anger meets God's blockade.

"Am I the All You Need?"
becomes the issue now.  
I face Your will by choice	
and flint-free - I give thanks
for Your restraining voice.

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.

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