Paper Promises

Jessica Wheeler

Free Verse

You send
your flimsy, fragile
paper boat to float
again–
another promise
drifting out to sea.

How carefully aligned
your every crease,
each fold, with colors
bold and bright enough
to fool me once
a thousand promises
ago.

Such delicate design–
all edges crisp, a vessel built
with such precision, built
to skirt, to skim the surface, built
to seem
more than it is.

Yet, to dissolve, it takes
only a brush, a drop
of rain, a ripple's touch,
a breath– to sink
straight to the bottom
of an ocean, stripped
of color.

Your weightless word
will never know
the wind–

a paper promise
crumbles
in the breeze.

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Submitted by JessicaWheeler on November 06, 2024

: 36 sec read
: 134 Views

Quick analysis:

Scheme	XXXXAX BXXXXXC XDDDXX XXXXXXX XCB AXX
Closest metre	Iambic dimeter
Characters	612
Words	119
Stanzas	6
Stanza Lengths	6, 7, 6, 7, 3, 3

Full analysis for Paper Promises »

Jessica Wheeler

· New Haven

Jessica Wheeler is a writer and poet from Branford, Connecticut, where she resides with her husband and two young daughters. Her creative journey began at a young age, with a strong foundation in music and performing arts. Today, Jessica is an active poet on numerous platforms. Her work has been published in several poetry anthologies and on websites dedicated to the complexities of loss and grief. more…

All Jessica Wheeler poems | Jessica Wheeler Books

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6 Comments

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Amandagrondin1226
Nicely done❤️
LikeReply 129 days ago
susan.brumel
Beautiful, Jess. The poem’s delicate imagery complements the sometimes fragile nature of a promise. I love it.
LikeReply 229 days ago
npirandy
Once again, you've proven your versatility and mastery of the art. Free verse is not something I'd even attempt. You seem to feel comfortable in every genre. You really are a talent my friend.
LikeReply 129 days ago
- JessicaWheeler
  Thank you, you're encouraging words mean the world to me! Xo
  LikeReply24 days ago
Symmetry60
Gorgeous poetry here, Jess. You seem to be a schooled poet? If not, it's impressive how your mind works.
LikeReply 129 days ago
karlcfolkes
Sorry for the misspelling typo of what was meant to be the word ‘your.’ Thanks.
LikeReply29 days ago
karlcfolkes
Very nicely done, Jessica. You’re poem “Paper Promises” with its rich imagery reminds me of Morocco’s line in Act 2, Scene VII of Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice” where the classical line is uttered: “All that glitters is not gold.” more »
LikeReply 129 days ago
- JessicaWheeler
  Thank you, my friend. Your comment made my day! Xo
  LikeReply29 days ago

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"Paper Promises" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 6 Dec. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/203343/paper-promises>.

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