MAIDEN FLIGHT -- brand new poem written 2-4AM today 18Feb 20

Creative Forums Creative Writing
1

my red balloon

not a kid anymore
only logical that
i should set you free

to fulfill your simple design

before you run out
of helium

not to touch the earth
but i can’t bear to let go

of the silly string
that keeps us attached

so childish to hold on
release would do
my heart

a world of good

yet still i cling
to this hair-thin umbilical

so i’ll remain
greater than zero

w/ the only thing
close to love
i know

…my red balloon

2

There is a breathing exercise that was taught to me by a wonderful person, that I really enjoy doing, which is pretending to inflate a big red balloon in one’s abdomen. I have to say that every time I inflate that balloon, I always tend to go on a wonderful journey. This poem, as well, took me on a nice journey, reading it, just gave me a sense of saftey, a sense of calmness. Art can do that - I mean painting - and sometimes poetry too, as this piece does.

Thanks for sharing lhw.

3

I practice that same breathing exercise, excepting I envision a pink bubble surrounding my body, with something powering it (like a battery) coming from my navel area. Sweet.

But this poem, this poem has a great sense of urgency on par with breathing. i enjoy it alot…99 red balloons go by… hah

4

Very nice, lengthheightwidth. Another fine poem.

5

Thanks for the wonderful feedback TUM, OK Computer and Phaedrus. It’s been a couple months since I last posted new poetry mostly b/c --until now w/ this new piece I just wrote a couple days ago-- the little that I have been writing in the intervening months since my last submissioin have been mostly unfinished snippets or promising efforts that I call “protopoems” that seem to be trying to say something but are missing that essential 1-5% that makes them finished poems.

I’m glad and gratified that the new poem was so well received by you three. I myself was so thrilled to have a new poem to offer that I was seized by a Eureka! moment which led to my posting it on ILP but soon followed by 2nd thoughts wondering if I might’ve been a little too hasty.

It’s an interesting case of coincidence that the “red balloon” image in my poem reminded two of you of the red balloon meditation/breathing exercise that you use. I was not consciously aware of the red balloon visualization exercise while writing this poem, but, ironically, the idea of relaxational breathing did come to mind as the poem unfolded for me.

OK Computer – part of my 2nd thoughts that I just mentioned came from my worrying that people would diss this poem b/c the Nina song would come too easily to mind and, therefore, negatively affect how it was read. I’m glad that this relatively minor fear proved to be unwaranted. On the subject of 99 Red Balloons, one of my fav lines in a song comes from that song and it goes: “…everyone’s a souvenir / everyone’s a Capt. Kirk…” I just love the inference that this line suggests saying that we consumers are products of our mass-media pop-culture ourselves and not merely passive subjects being acted upon by the pop-culture at large.

–thanks again,
lhw

6

I have a third thought lhw. In my view of life there are 8 colored “balloons” we need to release in order to embrace life fully. I am wondering which was the “red” one you considered releasing while you wrote this poem?