I wrote this poem a few months ago for a class assignment. I’m not much of a poet, but I thought this one was pretty good. It’s an extended metaphor for the emotion “Fear” (hence, the title). Each line has 10 syllables, so it seems to flow much better. The rhyme scheme I used is that of the Shakespearean sonnet (abab,cdcd,efef,gg).
Down a dark alley, a child sits alone,
Searching around for a familiar face.
A sharp noise is heard, but nothing is shown;
He is lost and completely out of place.
A silent shiver slithers down his back
As his ears snap and his bones turn ice cold.
Through loneliness, courage is what he lacks,
And slowly, the anxiety unfolds.
An unwelcome guest arrives from inside,
Sweeping away his lasting sense of hope.
It pushed aside the child’s petty pride,
As he sees things from a much smaller scope.
The feeling comes to life with just a tear.
This is what it is like to be in fear.