Coffee House Writers

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Article Categories
    • Fiction
      • Action & Adventure
      • Fantasy
      • Historical Fiction
      • Horror
      • Mystery
      • Romance
      • Science Fiction
      • Speculative Fiction
      • Suspense & Thrillers
      • Westerns
      • Women’s Fiction
      • Women Sleuths
    • Nonfiction
      • Astrology & Tarot
      • Biographies
      • Business
      • Creativity
      • Creative Nonfiction
      • Cooking, Food & Drink
      • Culture
      • Current Affairs & Politics
      • Design, Fashion & Style
      • Entertainment
      • Environment
      • Health & Wellness
      • History
      • Home & Garden
      • Lifestyle
      • Media
      • Memoir & Autobiographies
      • Paranormal
      • Parenting & Family
      • Reviews
      • Science & Technology
      • Self-Help & Relationships
      • Spiritual & Religious
      • Sports
      • Travel
      • True Crime
    • Poetry
      • Acrostic
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Our Founder
  • Meet Our Admin
    • Chief Editors
    • Editors
  • Testimonials
  • Apply
  • Login

logo

Coffee House Writers

  • Home
  • Article Categories
    • Fiction
      • Action & Adventure
      • Fantasy
      • Historical Fiction
      • Horror
      • Mystery
      • Romance
      • Science Fiction
      • Speculative Fiction
      • Suspense & Thrillers
      • Westerns
      • Women’s Fiction
      • Women Sleuths
    • Nonfiction
      • Astrology & Tarot
      • Biographies
      • Business
      • Creativity
      • Creative Nonfiction
      • Cooking, Food & Drink
      • Culture
      • Current Affairs & Politics
      • Design, Fashion & Style
      • Entertainment
      • Environment
      • Health & Wellness
      • History
      • Home & Garden
      • Lifestyle
      • Media
      • Memoir & Autobiographies
      • Paranormal
      • Parenting & Family
      • Reviews
      • Science & Technology
      • Self-Help & Relationships
      • Spiritual & Religious
      • Sports
      • Travel
      • True Crime
    • Poetry
      • Acrostic
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Our Founder
  • Meet Our Admin
    • Chief Editors
    • Editors
  • Testimonials
  • Apply
  • Login
  • A Circle in the Sand

  • A Monster’s Song

  • Almost Magic

  • Climbing Time

  • The Unwanted Club

  • Life Doesn’t Stop

  • A Heartfelt Goodbye

  • Of Lockets and Pomegranates: Chapter 21

  • Neptune’s Fortune Part 5

  • The Hardest to Learn

  • The Tree that Lost Its Leaves

  • The Codfish Carbuncle Case: Chapter 7

  • Another Birthday

  • Married People

  • I’m Quietly Flying Around

  • Battle Caw

  • Watch Your Step

  • The Darkness of Your Absence

  • Neptune’s Fortune Part 4

  • Thicker Than Water

Poetry
Home›Poetry›Forcing the Words

Forcing the Words

By Erynn Crittenden
September 15, 2025
277
0
Share:
A notebook and crumpled papers on a light background
Rubidium Beach / Pexels
5
(1)

Is it poetry if the words are coerced?

Can we turn a stressful situation-
Full of anger and fear,
Insecurity and grief-
Into an inspirational tale
Of hope and renewal
While we’re still under its influence?

Or are they mere placeholders
For our true feelings
That come tumbling out
In their own time
And rock the foundations
Of everything we are?

Only the poet knows.

 


Editor: Shannon Hensley

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 5 / 5. Vote count: 1

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

As you enjoyed this post...

Follow us on social media!

Oh no!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

TagsMental HealthFree Verse Poetry
Previous Article

When Silence Speaks

Next Article

Your Actions Spoke Louder

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0

Erynn Crittenden

Erynn Crittenden has written poetry since she could hold a pen. This love prompted her to earn a BA in Creative Writing, where she learned how to experiment with syllables and styles. Since then, Erynn has self-published three poetry collections (By the Bones, Transfiguration, and Into the Western Sky) through Amazon. She also writes and publishes plenty of individual poems on her website, and her work has appeared in the Talon Literary Magazine, the Beautiful Poetry anthology by Silent Sparks Press, the #AmWriting anthology by the Wayne Foundation, and Life Blood: A Collection of Vampire Tales by Gary Hill. Erynn is also the creator and host of the Present Poetry Podcast, where she reads and celebrates a different poet every week. Find it and the rest of her works by visiting her website at LadyErynn.com.

Related articles More from author

  • gravel path through the mountains
    LifestyleNonfiction

    Why Embracing the Crooked Path Can Lead to Success

    January 29, 2024
    By Dawn Marie
  • Poetry

    Scotland’s Heretic Queen

    February 17, 2020
    By Chasity Gaines
  • A lone woman walking among a busy and deserted highway
    Poetry

    Relentless

    June 9, 2025
    By Scarlett Faye
  • A red and blue sky and trees at dawn
    Poetry

    Before Dawn

    April 21, 2025
    By Neva Naci
  • Parasite
    CreativitySelf-Help & RelationshipsPoetryLifestyleHealth & Wellness

    Parasite

    July 1, 2020
    By Shannon Meyers
  • Black and white picture of baby feet
    Poetry

    Mine

    March 16, 2026
    By Rockebah C. Stewart

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You may be interested

  • journal with reminder
    EnvironmentLifestyleNonfiction

    Self-Care is Productive

  • Sunrise
    CreativityMemoir & AutobiographiesEnvironment

    O glorious sun

  • castle, hall, window
    EntertainmentEnvironmentTravelCreativitySelf-Help & RelationshipsFiction

    Cascade Falls – Part Five

Timeline

  • June 8, 2026

    A Circle in the Sand

  • June 8, 2026

    A Monster’s Song

  • June 8, 2026

    Almost Magic

  • June 8, 2026

    Climbing Time

  • June 1, 2026

    The Unwanted Club

Latest Comments

  • LC Ahl (Lucy)
    on
    May 4, 2026
    Great story Scarlett! Excellent delivery!

    One Last Time

  • LC Ahl (Lucy)
    on
    May 4, 2026
    I loved this series. You have a gift for world building!

    Lover of the Queen: Epilogue

  • Ivor R Steven
    on
    April 14, 2026
    Thank you very much for your kind words, Derrick

    Arise With My Light

  • Ivor Steven
    on
    April 14, 2026
    Thank you so much for visiting my poem here at CHW, Beth

    Arise With My Light

  • Derrick John Knight
    on
    April 14, 2026
    Another fine combination

    Arise With My Light

About us

  • coffeehousewriters3@gmail.com

Donate to Coffee House Writers

Coindrop.to me

Follow us

© Copyright 2018-2026 Coffee House Writers. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s administrator and owner is strictly prohibited. Privacy Policy · Disclaimer