Poetic Blueprint

This blog is about all things poetry. I will post my own poetry and write articles about ways for people to write, edit and publish their own poetry. There will be interviews also with poets. There will be poetry tips and words of encouragement also.

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In the Middle

Poem by Dana L. Young


I never know what to do when they argue.
When a minor conflict is inflated to new heights
Shouts, accusations, and failures revealed
On both ends
Long pauses and expectations on me
To get involved
Yet I don’t want to.
I want to maintain my inner peace
And love and embrace both sides.


Why am I always in the middle?
The silent child then, now the hidden adult.
Still expected to blindly pledge allegiance.
Forced to appease both sides.
To calm two warring egos.
A task that I was never officially assigned

Yet I can’t escape the restrictive chains
That force me to make a choice
On who is right or wrong
Within the same family.


I am the silent sibling, and the obedient daughter
And both sides want me to be something
For them.
How can I choose between blood?
Between separate bonds formed from birth
That I can’t and refuse to break on either side.


I hate being in the middle.
I am neither a mediator nor a judge
Not a referee or a traitor
For choosing to continue a relationship
With both sides.


I hate the disappointment in their eyes
But it’s not my responsibility to remove it.
I don’t want to be in the middle…ever.
Yet I am

Poem by Dana Young (c) June 2026

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