Small Town at the End of the World

We’ve moved into June, and I need a poetry style that starts with the letter F. I’ve decided to write Free verse Poems. Writing Free Verse Poems for an entire month frightens me because they lack meter, rhythm, and form. Sometimes a person needs these guidelines to keep them honest. What makes a poem a poem if there is no way to define it as a poem? The only way to start the party is to run my finger over the keys and see what pops up on the computer screen. I will call this poem Small Town at the End of the World

First, let’s explore the characteristics of Free Verse Poetry and Small Town at the End of the World
1) Candace and flow
2) The built on the language of the poet
3) Non-uniform lines and stanzas
4) Experience with space
5) Prosaic Qualities
6) Concise Imagery
It appears free verse isn’t as rudderless as I first thought. My poetry writing challenge in June could get exciting. It’s time to read Small Town at the End of the World.

Small Town at the End of the World

Searchers on a dark horse
On a highway, we glade.
Past red barns waiting to be filled
With grain not yet grown
Corn sprouts poking out of the ground.
Out into the country past the city limits sign
To a place where life moves slow
And politics don’t matter much.
Farmers sat at a liar’s table
Talking about crops and cancer
And high school sports teams
They survived Vietnam,
But pancreatic cancer will get them in the end. 
That’s how the story goes
In a one stop light town
Located somewhere at the end of the world. 

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!

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Published by henhouselady

I am the author of Saving the Hen House. I didn't know when I started it would turn into a series. I love to ride motorcycles, the blues, my family, and going on adventures. This old hen rocks.

11 thoughts on “Small Town at the End of the World

  1. Oh, man ~ just came from one of these! You know the entire town is gaslighting you when one mechanic tells you your suspension’s about to go (it wasn’t,I found out later), but you should just drive the thing without cooling fans for three days and bring it back, they’ll look at it then… Ooh, there are still some very primitive places in this nation of ours! 😱

      1. Oh, I saw some really, really good beauty between people there. It’s hard for anyone to get to know you when you can’t leave your van and everyone you do business with gets sent little videos of you in your worst most panicked moments, courtesy of that same predator.

        They think they’re defending their town against a bad person, and he keeps them thinking it.

      2. You said a mouthful there. Our “entertainment” is one of the most insidious and destructive forces right now among us.

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