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Stuck On The Elevator

What goes up must come down, and what falls down must get back up.

By Josh MorganPublished 2 years ago 2 min read
Stuck On The Elevator
Photo by Jason Dent on Unsplash

I've been down in the basements and up on the rooftops

And I've spent nights on every floor in between

Sitting on the floor, there's only one number that's not there

And that would be thirteen

Now, I wouldn't say that I'm superstitious

There's not really any luck for me to believe in

So what exactly what would I call this situation I'm in right now?

Being stuck on the elevator…

Who am I supposed to call now?

As I'm growing sick from the motions, repeatedly going up and back down

Laying on my back now, exactly what am I to do with myself now?

I've met people on the way up and on the way down

Some who got caught up and others weighed down

All have come and gone as I have gone missing

Still stuck on the elevator

Can I get out now?

Laying face down now

Exactly what am I supposed to do now?

Confused now

I'm the only one left, held up and left out

What a let down

No rescue crew to let me out

Will my time soon be up or is the clock still counting down?

No service on the elevator

So if my phone is blowing up I can't call back now

I guess I'm on my own for now

This is out of my control

So what am I to do now?

Let go?

But I was never holding on

I don't even know what's going on

I'm stuck on the elevator and I've lost track

Am I going up or down now?

Retracing steps

I'm backing up now

Hopes were high but here I am with my back against the ground again

Facing up but the elevator is bringing me down again

Can't give up but the motion sickness has me feeling down again

Stuck on the elevator

Between being at the bottom staring up and at the top looking down

There's a middle ground

Is that where I'm at now?

Would I rather be stuck on the merry go round?

Going round n' round around-the-clock?

Or

Standing on a record spinning around non-stop

Making no way to winning a world record

Heating up and burning down, leaving no record

Or

Stuck on a swing that can't stop

Stuck, going back- and forth

Or

In the middle of a room

Pacing back and forth while my heart is racing back and forth

Stuck

Spending another night on the floor

As I lay wake and wonder

What bridges brought me here?

If I light them up will they burn down before I'm burnt out?

Will the fire light the way out?

Or

Will I find myself right where I was?

As if I ever left

What am I to do with what's left now?

I'm still stuck on the elevator, and there's nothing I can do

At least, for now

performance poetry

About the Creator

Josh Morgan

Personally, writing began as a creative outlet, to be a means of processing and venting emotion, but it has become so much more. Something I want not to be just relatable, enjoyable and a good read, but to reach someone who is in need.

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Comments (3)

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  • Angie the Archivist 📚🪶about a year ago

    I really like the poem… especially: “ Stuck Spending another night on the floor As I lay wake and wonder What bridges brought me here? If I light them up will they burn down before I'm burnt out? Will the fire light the way out?”✅

  • Paul Stewartabout a year ago

    The pacing, the flow and how deeply relatable this was was off the chart! loved it! sorry again about the delay! thanks for sharing!

  • Manisha Dhalani2 years ago

    Josh, the pacing of this one was so great. So many rush of emotions! I like this line "Some who got caught up and others weighed down". Well done.

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