The void
Perhaps it is a void, or just a crack
in a masterpiece of green and blue.
The forest heart beats with a natural sight,
a sky that knows the day, clouds that speak of shifting winds.
But the sun is a forgotten name,
its light devoured by the endless, reaching shade.
One step forward, and the floor gives way to dread.
One step back, and you are safe—
safe in the gilded cage of yesterday,
where hope is a ghost you'll never see again.
Ahead, a blinding terror.
Behind, a prison dressed in comfort.
The soul is a pendulum between two choices.
And so doubt is born, and vision fails.
The future is a closed door, a judgment you can't see.
The ripples spread from a stone you didn't throw,
a mouth forever open, offering nothing but the dark.
But you must remember:
this prison is only a story you have told yourself.
A path can be carved around the obstacle,
a way can be made beyond the borders of this painted doom.
With every step, the shadow shrinks,
and hope is not found—it is built,
brick by brick, towards a sun that has been waiting all along.
To live inside the frame is to accept the chains.
Think outside the border, and you will find the road is there.
The void will always come; despair will always knock.
But the hero is not the one who is never afraid—
the hero is the one who finds a way,
step by step, and never stops looking for the light.
How This Happened
Honestly? I was supposed to be studying.
I had my General Studies handbook open, reading about poetic devices and freewriting. You know how it is—exam prep brain. But the freewriting part stuck with me. The idea that you can just write without overthinking. No editing. No judgment. Just let it flow.
So I tried it.
And this poem came out.
That's the handbook that started it all.
The Art
I painted the image yesterday. A forest. Light and shadow. A crack in the beauty. I used ibisPaint and just went with it. The poem came after, but they belong together. The art is the visual. The poem is the voice.
Why Freewriting Works for Me
I've been writing freewrite poems on STEEM for a while now. It's become my go-to way of getting words out without the pressure of being "good." I don't use fancy devices or overthink my lines. I just write what feels true.
Freewriting helps me bypass the inner critic and get to something real. If you haven't tried it, give it a shot. Set a timer. Write nonsense if you have to. Just keep the pen moving and worry about flow Nd grammar later.
You might surprise yourself.
NFT & Timelapse
I minted this on Zora because I wanted the art and poem to exist as one piece (some other personal reasons are involved but it's classified)
And if you want to see the painting come to life, here's the timelapse:
📹 https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZ2W3CIIjCc/?igsh=dnJtMXNtOWhiZHJw