IMPRISIONED
My thoughts have little oars that paddle me
to places where I must not go in this design.
My heart has wheels that roll me to Utopia
and make me want what is not mine
to have. My soul has strong propellers,
lifting me where angels fly,
and it is beautiful,
but I can’t breathe that high.
My better sense imprisons now
this restless entity with ball and chain,
until my keeper thinks it wise to break restraints
and set me free again.
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Florence K. Diemer, 88, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania was a bookkeeper before her marriage to Walter E. Diemer, inventor of Bubble Gum. A graduate of Moore College of Art, she traveled extensively in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, where she continued painting. She began writing poetry in her later years, and friends urged her to enter the SPL contest. This is her first experience submitting her work! Her sign is Capricorn.