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

[Rita L. Sev]

The essence of unconditional love is that moment when all that true beauty is all a man can see. Though, to be fair, I have known women who did not know the beauty of the men they had, either. Your final lines here suggest a man who has had this epiphany... Superb write, Hero

[Travis Gibson (poetic heroics)]

An epiphany is exactly right, this was written after said occurrence. Yea, i think many of us go thru this life and over-look at least one good thing we encounter. Thank you for the great review, Rita.

[Frieda P]

Wow, this reminds me of the cracks are there so the light can get in...valuable lesson here, you spun this with perfection, if only everyone realized this early on. Nice to see you're passing the lesson on in your poetry, kudos! Excellent read my friend. Favorite....100/100

[Travis Gibson (poetic heroics)]

Thank you, Frieda. I am beyond humbled by your thoughts and review of this piece. It's one of my more personal writes. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much.

[Frieda P]

My pleasure indeed Hero, this touched me, the beauty and gritty honesty of this piece should be required reading for all young people, male and female alike, not to mention some older folks who still don't get it! ...outstanding.

[Travis Gibson (poetic heroics)]

Thank you so much for that, Frieda. I'm floored that you feel so strongly about it, hopefully it will reach enough to cause even a slight change in the world.

[Frieda P]

I sincerely do, it's a very valuable lesson and hopefully someone else is so touched by your words and perhaps has a light bulb moment.

[Travis Gibson (poetic heroics)]

Here's to hope.