The Porcelain Doll

The porcelain doll sits in the toy store

Chestnut ringlets circle her chubby cheeks

Shiny glass orbs eyeing the ringing door

Hoping to finally leave the tiny shop.

Children come and go, passing her once more

but not a single one cares for antiques.

So she waits to be bought and taken or

For the shelf to collapse and she just drops.

A little boy enters, speeding

in like his life depends

on it, looks around and sees

the doll.

He picks her up to play

but causes a small crack, gets

distracted by another and leaves

the broken doll.

A small ant crawls on the thin line marking

the porcelain doll's face. Other children start

to take notice of the damaged toy but

they only try to pick her scar apart

rather than take her home. The owners, placing

the doll in the back, hope to save her heart,

but the back is lonely and cold, and dust

gathers on the broken piece of art.

Suddenly, the little boy

returns, grabbing the doll,

playing with her

like she's never known before.

But the crack grows and grows

and the boy, taking little care,

presses at it, splitting open

the doll's skull

Ants.

Ants spilling out of the cracked mess.

Hundreds of small, black, beady ants crawling all over the ground.

The boy panics and leaves

the doll laying all alone.

I can be fixed, all you need is some glue!

I can be fixed!

Can't I?

Author's Note

Rip it apart!

Reviews

[Foreplay]

Very good language use and symbolism on relationship. The proximate damage, the deeper damage, and the fear of all those small, black, beady thoughts pouring out. Who will be able to tolerate them? I will said the Black Knight.

[Nessly]

Oh, I love the metaphor the doll represents. I guess we all become cracked and broken sometimes. It's difficult to put the pieces back together.

[Ashley Kessel]

I really loved this piece,it kept me reading and interested the entire time. It was very deep and meaningful. It left me saying wow at the end. You have a very different, but beautiful writing style to you.