There We Go

A poem about putting yourself out there and sharing a piece of yourself with others.

She hands them a slice

of her heart on a silver platter.

A gift of sorts,

shares it with them kindly,

“here you go.”

But, she forgets to mark it,

“Fragile, handle with care.”

 

Some examine it:

sniffing,

poking,

prodding with a stick.

They check for disease or for poison,

stamp it with a seal of approval

if it’s clean,

then with a curt nod and a suspicious glance,

they give it back,

“here you go.”

 

Others stare stupidly at the platter

tilting their head at her sideways,

eyebrows raised,

they grunt, “don’t want any, lady”

and shut the door.

Her eyes rest on the concrete

as she retreats to the sidewalk.

 

Some cautiously unlock the double-bolt

and notice the bruises"

black and blue marks

on a surface that should be pink.

Shuddering at the ugly sight of it,

they slowly back away,

and give it back with a scared smile:

“You should have that looked at.”

Gripping the hand of their youngest son too tightly,

they scamper back inside,

and lock the door.

 

Finally, a select few open the door

and notice the scars beginning to heal

as well as the open wounds

branded into the battered surface of her heart,

still a deep red, with blood that has not yet dried.

The silver platter glistens in the light of the sun.

Concern fills their eyes; they offer her a seat

before walking over to the medicine cabinet

and pulling out the peroxide and cotton swabs,

carefully cleansing the dirt from the wound.

 

These few ask quietly if they can keep it,

though for once,

it was not offered.

She hesitates for a moment,

studying their face for intentions.

She hands it to them slowly,

and watches as they lock it away

in an antique wooden chest,

whispering softly,

“There we go.”

Reviews

[Lizy Coale]

aww! that's amazing (: i can relate to it so well!

[Reiva]

i love the narrative. clearly, you have used your talents to perfect precision.

[sarah]

that is a very good poem

[Sel Whiteley]

Wow, this is outstanding. You have a brilliant narrative technique and your charactersiation is superb. Welcome.

[Emily B]

you have a remarkable voice, welcome to the writer's cafe!