I don't choose the muse
the muse chooses me
and when she appears
between my ears
I adopt the writer's role
and follow her
down the rabbit hole
never knowing
what I may find
is on my mind
but in time if I'm content
when penning punny poetry
with what passes for a poem
then it's good enough for me
With apologies to Lewis Carroll (1832 – 1898)
The past life is all in the bin,
the fresh start,
purpose unanswered,
the journey we begin.
Just like when a dad sends his kids
into the tunnel in the park,
they see things
and exit with happy faces.
God sends us into a womb
to experience the tunnel of life;
the exit is bittersweet but nice.
It was supposed to be
a journey of joy,
the growth,
love,
people to feel.
The purpose is forgotten,
the story is blurred,
small parts tangle them,
the broad umbrella many miss.
No one to show the exit.
Who's gonna make them know
to focus less on muddy land
and more on the beauty that fills?
The tunnel has many ways,
each step with a different era,
two boxes of gifts,
every choice makes us lift.
The true ones exit
not with a smile,
but with scars,
dirt,
and mess.
'Cuz they tried hard,
they lived every second,
they saw everything,
satisfaction they carry.
A gift of life we all have;
let's pave the path,
the spark that never lasts.
Hear that whistle scream
On down the wrong track,
A full head of steam
And too late to go back
Know now which way was best
Could have gone south or north,
Could have been east or west
Too late to go back and forth
Not a penny to my name
Not a dime in my purse,
A light at the end never came
And the tunnel made it worse
Time... it never stumbles
And the rail never ends,
Aboard a car that rumbles
Steady around the bends
Get them wheels a' turnin'
Another shovel full of coal,
To get them embers burnin'
And just let that train a' roll.
The Guardian of Hell: A Sinner's Slumber
The obsidian tunnels of this godless realm,
Uncoil like serpents where I blindly tread.
A shadow stalks, a nightmare at the helm,
Feeding upon the frantic steps I dread.
What does he want, this shadow in the smoke?
My ankles drag the burning chains of hell.
He stands above me, draped in misery's cloak,
The brutal keeper of a silent cell.
For what unknown transgression do I weep?
I bear a crushing weight I cannot name.
The dark is suffocating, fierce, and deep,
A blind expanse of agony and shame.
Then through the vault, his iron voice commands:
"Halt, sinner, halt! And face my burning glare!"
The Lord of Ash before my terror stands,
And flings me down into the deep despair.
"Wake up!" he roars, "The pit has claimed its prize!
Confess your hidden crime into the night!
Shatter the silence, strip away the lies,
And only then shall you return to light!"
Would there ever be a light at
the end of the tunnel?
She didn't know, she couldn't see one;
she waited and she hoped
knowing there'd be no guarantee.
Still she persisted waiting in the dark
for even just a spark.
AP: Honorable Mention 2026
Not the one to be a boaster,
fifty years of roller coaster
and there I am on the poster,
raising the gold bar.
High apex of the Ferris wheel
to tea cup-in-a-tempest feel,
hot love tunnel riding the keel,
and yet here we are.
Death ! I’m not afraid of you, you are a balm
come softly with long dark muscular arms
carry me into deep crimson flute melodies
where I will float with pink wreaths, a remedy
Here tenderly I embrace your breezy ripples
through Tunnel of Light, past heavenly officials
trumpets announcing my awaited joyous arrival
name embellished across peaceful sky, as recital
Delicate sugarbird wings will sway at ankles
lifting me into lilting velvet deep spangles
purple-gold lotus on engraved jewelled crown
butterflies bringing etheric ambrosia profound
Wild winds hum hymns with Star unconcerned
You will embroider my spirals with fragile ferns
faraway rains always fill sparkling trout streams
Death, I’m not afraid of You, hug me, my Dream !
Walking down a long and dark tunnel with no end in sight
Crying, looking for just one drop of hope out of my plight
Trying only to breathe while sinking in the dark’s deep might
Suddenly burst the simple beauty of a single light
Quickening my step thinking there was salvation to claim
Moving yet faster and faster with laser focused aim
Salivating at the coming freedom from long held shame
Broken finding the light was a torch with a single Flame
Walking and weeping as there appeared a very small glow
Emerging a crowd beckoning that the way out to know
Knowing, having come from there, it was not the way to go
Heart tearing as this false hope was merely men full of woe
Slowing my step as hope was fading when then came a sound
Deafening growl echoed filling my heart shaking the ground
Blazing light broke the dark illuminating all around
Deeply saddened for it was train whizzing past darkness bound
Weeping and fully broken I stopped falling on my face
Missing the appearing brightest of lights filling this place
Feeling the Son of God lifting in a loving embrace
Taking my hand, He led me out of darkness with His grace
Trapped pigeons see sky.
Fly past the dark into light.
Pass the hunter's sight.
Take initiative go to the light where the force of darkness ends
A flame needs its kindled source as a sparking awareness mends
Our enlightened energy wrapped in an array of cavernous colors
Ribboned radiant impressions given in vast deepest depths squalors
A shadow self may live dormant and await unveiling the chaos within
When it has become an unbearable journey to live in your own skin
Opaque indigo stones skim over shallow waters in an empty well
Stratas rock labyrinths chiseled lies of neglect in a nautilus shell
Warm sorrel ribbon evokes sympathy in a disparaged tale of woe
A sorbet of violet, green, and tangerine conjure a melodious flow
What is truly a wellspring of a healing rainbow palette renders
We find the key to unlocking magic embers in dormant chambers
Dank darkness may lead us astray from individuality and truth
Take initiative, find the light of all brightest light reaching for you
While sharing the ride
and not a lot to see or do
seated side by side
in the Chunnel queue
with commuters driving home
I took a look at the view
carpool tunnel vision syndrome
There is, there must be
Ample light at the end of
The tiring tunnel.
i find myself lost in a crowd.
i see a distant memory gaze by,
everything falls silent even when this place was so loud.
i tried to keep moving on past it,
but now i find myself seeking that place.
i have tunnelled too deep,
we now stand face to face,
i am gazing down the tunnel to her soul.
as the tunnel peers back at me shinning like the stars in the night sky, dragging me deeper into the hole.
time stops and reverses back to the eyes i once knew,
as i stand here,
i then hear a whisper in my ear,
the words spoken reverberating around my head trying to dig a way out.
they soon find themselves trapped along with me in the tunnel to her soul.
i don’t feel the need to scream or shout,
because to be truthful in those eyes,
i know that is where my heart forever lies.
with tunnel vision focus on you
around you I see nothing else
I've got e y e s only for you.
you're diamond in the rough
the eye of the storm
yes, my dearest,
you mean that
much to
me
Little does my mind rest
Wailing and scraping at the walls of my brain
The feeling of being lost forefront
Guiding lights leading me astray
To find the end an impossible outcome
Yet lying down to die not even a choice
Trying to break the patterns I’ve set
Failing to change who I am
Maybe I don’t need to change
Just find a way to accept myself
Though my mind may never rest again
I refuse to let the static kill me anymore
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.