Ottawa

I wanted to find some interesting styles of poetry for 2022. Metered poetry has always been a challenge for me. I discovered I subconsciously avoided the challenge of dabbling in this particular writing pattern. This year I decided to spread my wings and fly into the face of the storm. I stumbled across the Aquarian by accident and thought it might be interesting to play with this metered style during the last part of January and the entire month of February. This one I will call  Ottawa, inspired the Freedom Convoy.

I am discovering this style of poetry is harder than it first appeared. You only have to develop fourteen syllables for each stanza, but sometimes you want to write more. Plus, I find the constant counting of the syllables distracting. I also have to fight the urge to create rhythms. These short poems have gotten darker, and I am not sure why. Maybe it’s caused by the dark winter or all the conflicting messages we get these days. One thing for sure, sadness captured my attention during this dark winter.

About the Aquarian and Ottawa

Maris Mazz created this metered style of poetry.

Each stanza has lines of 2/4/6/2 syllables. They can have any number of stanzas creating multiples of 4 lines. They aren’t supposed to rhythm at all.

Ottawa

I wish
Instead of here
I was in Ottawa
Today

Playing 
In a purple
Bouncy house and
Dancing in the street for
Freedom

Giving 
Good food to the 
Hungry and heat in the
Bitter

Cold night
For brave truckers
Standing against tyrants
Today

Sort of
Like Woodstock back
In the freedom-seeking
Hippie

Party
And loud rock-n-roll
I have to question  now
How did

We get 
So frigging old
And became our parents
I guess

We were
Right not to trust 
People over thirty
Turn the

Page of
History and 
“Hell no, we won’t go” is
Sold out

To the
The highest of
The corporate bidders
These days

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.

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