My year-long odyssey into the various styles of poetry has taught me many lessons about myself. I enjoy getting lost in the world of rhyming words. There still isn’t one style of poetry I would choose as my favorite to write in. July is the perfect month to create a selection of free verse poems. This style of poetry has no rules, which I find liberating. They don’t have to rhythm, but I suspect mine will rhythm because that is how I roll. One of the poems I plan to share during this month of free verse is Like a Helium Filled Balloon.
Like a Helium Filled Balloon
I write my words
Addicted to the rhythm
The sound of syllables
Twittering in the air
Like frightened birds.
I aspire to be as profound as
Gwendolyn Brooks,
Maya Angelou,
Nikki Geovanni,
Their words I found in books,
On the dusty shelves of the library.
On my better days
I strive to be
Emily Dickenson.
Walking down unfamiliar trails,
Capturing fragments of the sun,
All its glory and rage,
And spill that power onto the page.
But who am I?
A simple woman with complicated tastes,
Who should know better than fling words onto a page,
And aspire beyond my station,
With dreams too many to mention.
Like Janis once said,
“A woman can be tough,”
But I wonder if I am enough,
To rise above this mundane mediocrity
Rise like a helium-filled balloon,
Elevated above the ground that anchors me,
To float with the fireworks,
Lighting up the dark summer night sky.
Who is Molly Shea?
Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh. To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.
Be sure to follow Molly on Twitter!
I’m sure you are more than enough to rise above the “mundane mediocrity” 😉 You have a uniquely inspiring way with your words 🙏🤍
This is beautiful.