My Artist
By Kim Helmore
Reclaiming a silenced inner artist and setting her creativity free.
My artist was sabotaged
by well meaning adults
She was hung on a post
and left to the crows
You will not make money
as an artist - they said
Dreams of pursuing
the one thing I loved
Dashed - placed in the trash
too hard to resist
Too far a leap - to insist
crumbled into a heap
Something meaningful, they said
squashing any desire
Something practical, they said
letting loose those doubts
They did not understand
that my art was
My one pleasure, the one thing
that stopped the pain
The one thing about myself
that I did not disdain
The one thing that
kept me sane
No money to be made
starving artist, they said
All hopes and illusions
put bluntly to bed
Without my artist to
treat my needs
Without my artist
to calm my feeds
he cloth it unraveled
my heart did not burn
Passions left by the wayside
allowed disdain to turn
Lowering my resilience
into a box - my passions went
Hidden down deep
passions unraveling threads
From the author:
I am a 55 year old mother of two, with a supportive husband and deep wounds to heal. My poetry is helping me find my way in this noisy world, by allowing me a safe space to speak my voice and unearth what’s needing to heal within me. My Artist is a reflection on my own internal artist, that was lost because of family and societies expectations, to do what you are expected to do. It’s a voice for the young artist in me, who listened to them, instead of listening to her heart.
-Kim Helmore, 2025
Volcanos erupted
self pity insured
A part of my being
tucked away and dimmed
But slowly I learned
she could not be silenced
She was my best friend
tucking her away
Only insured
- a bitter end
She came to the light
that playful artist child
Opened to daylight
her innocence renewed
Laughter and happiness
is what she bought forth
Coping in her adult clothes
that playful being endured
I now live with her pleasures
happy and content
No money to be made
but that’s not my intent
So sad that I listened
to that adult advice
And belittled her pleasure
and her pure delight
She is a part of me
an integral voice
With her, I’m assured
that I can never be lost
Expression in words
expression in sight
Expression in happiness
and excited delights
Colours, textures, form
and movement
My artist is here
and always will be
Here to remind me
to open the gates
To set my creativity free!
because …....it’s never too late!