Childbirth

I plan to continue my poetic adventure in 2023, similar to how I started in 2022, with a slight variation. Starting with the letter A, I will try to explore several poetry styles. This journey in poetry writing started two years ago when I strongly desired to learn more about reading and writing poetry. Black Out Poems became my obsession at the end of 2022. I promise to be a little more diverse this year. I started 2023 by writing “Ars Poetic” verse style. This form of poetry can be translated from Latin as “The Art of Poetry,” I titled this poem Childbirth.

How does “Ars Poetic?” relate to the poem Childbirth

Horace started this tradition somewhere around 13 B.C.E. This form of poetry is simply writing a poem about writing a poem. It expresses how the poet feels when engaged in the writing process, examining the poet’s relationship to the poem. There are no rules about meter or rhythm. Writing this form of poetry should be a fun experience.

Note: I decided to tackle my “Ars Poetic” poems by writing them in a series of poems without any rules of meter and rhythm. The subject matter concerns what I could write about if I chose to write about the subject matter.

Childbirth
It takes a lot to bring life into the world
At first, it seems kind of simple
Slight discomfort with a new life curled
Deep in your womb where no one can see
Then comes the morning sickness that can cripple
There is a little time when only you know
Your stomach starts to grow 
The secret comes out
And you wait and grow
Wait and grow
With butterfly flutters in your gut
That soon became great swelling belly rolls
The day draws near
And there is breathing, pushing, and pain
Until a new person appears
I guess I could write about that

Like notes sung by a little bird
Letter upon letter
Word upon word
Line upon line 
Stanza upon stanza
This poem is for me to create and define

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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