Freed Verse

As a poet who likes to make things rhyme, It has been a mystery to me why some prefer "Free Verse". I rarely, if ever at all, understand how to write in that style. Perhaps, that is why I chose it here. Like any poet, I have often been faced by a blank page in front of me. That is my challenge, my gauntlet, the duel in which I must fight. My words are the bullet, my thoughts the aim, my meaning the target. You may ask, "Do I always hit my mark? No. Like a ballplayer swinging at strike three, it just makes an out. But, walking back to the dugout of my team with bat in hand, I hear them tell me, "Good swing, get 'em next time". That is true in writing or painting or any artistry. Those droughts come too often, quickly upon me, and last far too long. Whenever I feel the pressure of staring at that blank page, I just shut down for a time and wonder if I will ever write another word. Then, some inspirational line comes into my head, and I realize that it is my turn to step up to the plate again. It is only at those times do I write what seem to me, some of the best poetry that my soul will let me put together. Oh, by no means does it have the sage of a Whitman, Arnold, or Sandburg. But, it does have something that none of them ever could have. It has my thoughts, impressions, gifts, talents, soul, and more. That poem has only the words I was blessed enough to find. Even if I strike out with this one...it is me! I have tried to use allegory and allusion in writing this. Perhaps it is not your definition of "Free Verse", but it is my swing at the ball.