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 Modern Proposal

  • Of Lockets and Pomegranates: Chapter 23

  • Beyond Heaven’s Gates

  • Searching for Answers

  • From Survivor to Thriver

  • Still in Transit

  • Living My Truth

  • Living in the Shade

  • Anxiety versus Intuition

  • I Stopped to Listen

  • Someday in Paradise

  • Summer Dreams

  • Of Lockets and Pomegranates: Chapter 22

  • Light in the Forest

  • Neptune’s Fortune Part 6

  • Tomorrow Calls

  • A Circle in the Sand

  • A Monster’s Song

  • Almost Magic

  • Climbing Time

Poetry
Home›Poetry›Forcing the Words

Forcing the Words

By Erynn Crittenden
September 15, 2025
300
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

  • a forest landscape with the sun setting over horizon
    Poetry

    Salem

    October 14, 2024
    By Scarlett Faye
  • An athlete running alone on a lonley road
    Poetry

    The Risen You

    July 7, 2025
    By Chidinma Nwonye
  • Apple upon a set of books
    PoetryHistory

    History lesson

    May 27, 2024
    By Scarlett Faye
  • Couple embracing
    Poetry

    Lover’s Revival

    April 3, 2023
    By Scarlett Faye
  • Sunrise
    CultureCreativitySelf-Help & RelationshipsPoetry

    Twilight

    March 16, 2020
    By Shannon Meyers
  • summer, tree, grass
    LifestyleCultureCreativityParenting & FamilyEnvironmentSelf-Help & RelationshipsHealth & WellnessMemoir & AutobiographiesHome & Garden

    Modern Haiku – Vol. 1

    July 27, 2020
    By Xander S. Lee

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You may be interested

  • leaves on water
    Poetry

    Carpe Piscinam

  • people walking across a crosswalk on a city street.
    Literary FictionFiction

    Kittens

  • A image of a lakeside view with mountains clear in the background of the lake. The sky is a mix of blue with light shades of orange just peaking out beyond the mountains.
    PoetryProse Poetry

    Silence

Timeline

  • June 29, 2026

    A Modern Proposal

  • June 29, 2026

    Of Lockets and Pomegranates: Chapter 23

  • June 29, 2026

    Beyond Heaven’s Gates

  • June 29, 2026

    Searching for Answers

  • June 29, 2026

    From Survivor to Thriver

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