Hi everyone, I hope you’re all well! I’m sharing a poem with you today! I was inspired to write this one when I re-read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum recently. Reading it as a grown-up, I realised that I could draw parallels from the story to my own life.

As a child, I remember being mesmerised by the magic of the book – and its sequels – but now, all these years later, I see it as more than just a story. It seems, at least to me, that The Wonderful Wizard of Oz could, perhaps, be seen as an allegory for the breakdown and then recovery of a person’s mental health.

At any rate, the story set my mind a-whir, and I condensed my thoughts into the following:

To Oz and Back

I’ve been to Oz and back again
In the tornado of my mind
I’ve traipsed along the yellow brick road
And danced with the munchkin kind

I’ve done battle with false wizards
Who promised to help me fly
But they used trickery and illusion
Which only served to make me cry

I’ve faced off with those who’d do me harm
Oh, the fights that I have fought
And sometimes I’ve been victorious 
While at other times I’ve not

There’ve been days when I’ve been lacking heart 
And others when I’ve lacked brains
And I’ve been in want of courage
To traverse life’s sandy plains

Oh, I’ve been to Oz and back again
And it’s changed my point of view
I know now life’s not just black and white
It can be in technicolour too

As always, thank you very much for reading my words, I can’t tell you what it means!

Until next time,

George

© 2021 GLT

Categories: Creative Writing, Poetry

Tags: Allegory, brick, mental health, Oz, poem, Poetry, road, yellow