Words in Flight
I am the earth, words my satellites
my compositions populate the universe
arm in arm, they sing my praises
looking to me for guidance
My dreams expand, crossing oceans
poems and stories journey through time
upon webs of stars to other worlds
shining bright as comets
No decisions, no direction
books hurtle and tumble with abandon
options left to the ones who read
for their cosmic truth
I get lonely and call them home
they return with wisdom, lessons learned
writings of innocence, love, kindness
my words a meteor shower
I’m filled with trust in my artistry
as my soul glows neon pink
ideas explode into abundance
imagination my rightful throne
Ursula’s Worlds
for Ursula K le Guin
Wandering California hills and valleys,
the life of the Kesh enriched my own,
their music and poetry encouraged my writing,
with language invented by Ursula.
The world of Earthsea brought young wizards,
for this world she painted landscapes where
brown-skinned young people sailed the seas
fighting and taming dragons.
In colleges and high schools around the country
students learned about the ones who walked away,
a bucolic city hiding horrible truths,
Ursula made us ask questions.
An oak tree showing the passing of years
from only the tree’s perspective,
Ursula captured my imagination
expressing the turns of the road.
My personal favorites were the Ekumen,
travelers from Hain to establish peace
on many worlds throughout the cosmos
moving near light speed.
Wizard schools, the ansible,
ships flying almost as fast as light,
non-gendered people who broke barriers,
Ursula’s work opened my world.
Mona Mehas
Mona Mehas (she/her) writes poetry and prose from the perspective of a retired disabled teacher in Indiana USA. A Pushcart Prize nominee, her work has appeared in Paddler Press Trip Log, IHRAM Literary magazine, and many others. Her poetry chapbooks, Questions I Didn’t Know I’d Asked and Hand-Me-Downs are available on Amazon. Two of Mona’s poems received first place honors in the 2023 Poetry Society of Indiana Fall contest. Mona is EIC of Cicada Song Press and 2nd VP for Poetry Society of Indiana. She is working on a novel in verse.