Broken Beauty

when i looked at her closely

with each step, i feel breaking

and hear cracking underneath my feet

i look down and follow the broken pieces...

the trail is long

each piece flickers with it's own radiance,

but none appear to be whole

suddenly, a subtle warmth touches my face...

i must be near the source

the pieces now spread in all directions

though mere fragments of something

that was once complete,

they all glow brilliantly---

my eyes were dancing amidst

this shimmering sea, and then...

i saw her---

huddled in a corner

barely covered in a cloth that looked aged and soiled,

she seemed injured and yet...

still inviting

i noticed her straightening herself up

as my eyes examined her---

drawn in by her shine,

i quickly found myself sitting beside her---

what a perspective...

from this close

i could see all the pieces i came across before,

belong to her

i now was staring at the holes in her figure---

assuming i was readying a swift judgement,

she hastily began to gather

pieces of herself as an offering...

i softly placed my hands on hers

to cease this collection---

as i looked at her hands intertwined in my own

i noticed something under the shards

pierced with curiosity,

i swept them aside to reveal what was underneath---

footprints... i discovered footprints

i then looked harder, focusing my vision

i saw that the footprints also spread

in all directions from where she sat---

all were of various size,

crashing into or overlapping the next

the broken pieces of her

giftedly hid them---

my eyes made their way back to her,

then back to the footprints

once again back to her

and yet again...

back to the footprints---

confused and curious

i looked to her for answers,

her lips said nothing

but her eyes spoke all that needed to be said...

and like the sudden crack of thunder

it all came to me...

the broken pieces

the holes in her figure

the countless footprints

the look of tremendous suffering

that was held in her eyes---

i was baring witness

to the victim that beauty is

in the hands of man...

such foolish criminals we men are

thoughtlessly driven by lust,

we take from beauty only what we desire

so we fail to see

the magnificence of beauty's design---

instead we dissect and divide,

ripping beauty to shreads

each taking what his eyes found most entertaining

until we have had our fill

then we cast it aside and leave beauty...

to deal with the mess---

such foolish criminals we men are

now my heart aches for beauty

i crave to see her in true form,

like no man has yet to

and so, i will collect her up...

piece by piece

 

 

Author's Note

Thank you for reading. I would like to thank the woman who taught me that, no matter how taken with someone we may be, looking beyond our own wants will reveal them in away we never dreamed. Your insights are welcomed.

Reviews

[Solilokiss]

Wow. An astonishingly good and deeply insightful write. Commendations, Poetic!

[Travis Gibson (poetic heroics)]

Thank you, you've humbled me yet again.

[Coyote Poetry]

"i was baring witness
to the victim that beauty is
in the hands of man...
such foolish criminals we men are
thoughtlessly driven by lust,"
I wrote a similar poem today. Not as good as this one. The above lines are too true. Desire and lust make us forget woman have heart and souls. No weakness in the outstanding poetry.
Coyote

[Travis Gibson (poetic heroics)]

Thank you, dear friend. I'm certain your piece is no second to this, I look forward to reading it.

[Pryde Foltz]

such foolish criminals we men are
now my heart aches for beauty
i crave to see her in true form,
like no man has yet to
and so, i will collect her up...
piece by piece

Fantastic piece of self-discovery really. How foolish we are when we toss love aside. Psst, we women can be a little foolish at times. too.

[Travis Gibson (poetic heroics)]

Yes, I agree... there are many fools among our population. Lets hope for love, and our sakes that the smart one outnumber them one day. Thanks for a lovely review.

[KaylasPoetryBook]

Wow, another flawlessly done piece. The imagery is so vivid and I was drawn in from the start. Thank you for sharing (:

[Travis Gibson (poetic heroics)]

Thanks for coming by an reading/reviewing another piece, I'm glad you enjoyed it... your support is much appreciated.

[KaylasPoetryBook]

You're welcome.

[Joyce S. Greene]

External beauty being the only one of its aspects that is appreciated so very often, people do indeed trample on inner beauty that they neglectfully abuse. A wonderful write, PH. Your style always blows me away and I love the flow of your words. Great job!

[Travis Gibson (poetic heroics)]

Thank you beyond these mere words, Joyce. I can't express how humbled I am. I'm glad to know you enjoyed both this piece and my style of expression. Thank you for an uplifting review.

[Tom]

A very emotional and metaphoric descriptive build up to the awful reality of man's brutality, lustful desire and callous selfishness!

This was very well written Sir, from the heart and it certainly touches the heart and soul of the reader!

[Travis Gibson (poetic heroics)]

Thanks, Tom... this unfortunately is an awful reality we men create far to often. I appreciate your kind words and insightful review on this piece.

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

I always know that when I click on to one of your pieces I am going to be treated to an honest and emotional journey. You have truly found the spout to your emotional subconcious, and you are not afraid to open it for us as readers, that is beautiful. I relate to this one...we all have broken pieces of ourselves that need repairing. Aside from a few formatting issues and such, this was really nicely written--I like the way the words rolled in an almost "spoken word" sort of way. Always enjoy your thoughts, my friend.

[Travis Gibson (poetic heroics)]

Thank you so very much for a wonderful review. This piece is an example of my "just let the pen flow" kind of style. I just recently (after joining wc) began to vary my writing with structed pieces. I don't have any formal writing class/educational experience. I'm secretly taking notes on structure from the elite writers here, such as yourself. I hope to broaden my structual capacities in the near future. Thanks for your honest thoughts, dear friend.

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

It shows! Honestly, though, you have the toughest part down already--the emotion and desire--format is just something you play with and figure out as you go. I love reading your work. I'm humbled by the compliment :)

[TrimarcoRansome]

How you would like it to end after causing such catastrophic personal destruction to another... there always remains that one solitary piece that remains broken, unrepairable... Well written!

[Travis Gibson (poetic heroics)]

Thank you... I appreciate your insightful words and wonderful review.

[ANTO]

I have to say PH. This is so relevant to me at this time. I can't even tell you why - its too close. Im blown away by this.
Thanks so much for writing this

[Travis Gibson (poetic heroics)]

Thank you for reading/reviewing it. I'm glad you can relate to the piece on such a personal level.

[Marri]

hah, I like the concept of this very much. I also appreciate the vivid imagery of her being 'injured and still inviting'. Well written, every word was reflected in images in my reading so it definitely came true to me. Good work!

[Travis Gibson (poetic heroics)]

Thank you for such a great review. I'm glad my words were able to give life to my thoughts in this piece. I appreciate you taking time to leave me with your thoughts as well.