Loved While Full
How money and power decide who is held, and who is thrown away when the air runs out
I was loved
when I was full.
**
When my chest was tight with air
they called it value,
called it importance,
called it power.
**
Hands reached for me then.
Smiles were real.
Rooms made space.
**
They tied my string gently,
afraid I might float away.
**
But air is a fragile crown.
**
It leaks quietly
through days,
through losses,
through moments no one claps for.
**
And when my body softened,
when the shine dulled,
when I could no longer rise above the crowd
they let go.
**
Not with anger.
Not with guilt.
**
They dropped me like something that had finished
its only purpose.
**
I kept smiling.
Because that’s what I was made to do.
**
Cars passed inches from my face.
Shoes avoided me like shame.
No one asked where the air went.
No one asked where they went.
**
Funny thing about love built on air
it never mourns what deflates.
**
I learned this on the street,
wrinkled and light,
still yellow,
still trying to look alive.
**
Power fills you.
Money lifts you.
But when they leave,
so does everyone who mistook your fullness
for your soul.
**
I wasn’t loved for who I was.
**
I was loved
for how much air I could hold.
******
Thank you for reading.
If this piece stayed with you, even for a moment, then the balloon was not alone on the street after all.
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About the Creator
Aarsh Malik
Poet and storyteller who believes in the quiet power of words. Sharing self-help insights, fiction, and poetry on Vocal.
BUY COFFEE
Anaesthetist by profession.
...
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Comments (21)
This was devastating. It brought me right back to childhood, feeling lonely, confused, and misunderstood by my parents. This was a stunning poem! Congratulations on making it to the leaderboard! It is well deserved.
Tells so perfectly of non-genuine friendships and associations. A very deep and heartfelt poem. Congrats on L/B placement.
Aarsh, this is an outstanding poem. Congratulations on making this week's leadership board! I think it should get a top story badge, too.👏💙
powerful piece —well done!
Wooohooooo congratulations on your Leaderboard placement! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
Stunning work Aarsh! Congrats on your leaderboard placement! 🥳
Powerful
Brilliant!!!!
I love this metaphor. ❤️
Fantastic piece of poetry lovely, painful experience but sometimes some of our greatest work we write dose indeed come from pain. 💜 thank you for sharing this with us.
here from andrea's recommendation. this is fantastic poetry and should be a top story. being loved for how much air we can hold is a painful experience. i hope for everyone to have at least one person to hold and help them along when their chest runs out
This is great poetry! And truth in so many ways!💕💖💕
This is so very true Aarsh. One needs to find true friends, not hangers-on. Great poem.
This feels painfully honest about conditional love.
Powerful and insightful
P.S. I put your poem up in the Raise Your Voice Threads: https://dailyofferaccess.life/resources/raise-your-voice-thread-01-22-2026%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv class="css-w4qknv-Replies">
Now this poem is a lesson for all. Clearly depicting how may humans are. I loved how you gave life to the balloon in its description and the realizations that came to it.
This is so good!
Love this piece-we as a society tend to like to "flex"-be admired-then when it's all gone we have nothing.
I love this sustained metaphor. Exceptional.
Amazing and Real ❤️❤️❤️💯 You Are A Great Writer 👍 Keep It Going!