Paper Birds on Broken Strings
It’s the smallest thing but,
it’s something I can’t live without
Something I can’t let go of
Something that controls me
Scars me, abuses me, kills me
But, when I see that bone shining,
ever so brightly under the bathroom light,
I can’t help but, feel complete again.
The countless hours forcing what I hated,
but, my body starved and cried for,
were no longer in vain
The memories I’ll never get to see,
the friends I’d forgotten,
just to avoid tainting the beautiful image I saw
The disappointment on my face,
the smile on my mother’s,
were enough.
I was enough.
Light enough, broken enough, free enough
to make my own decisions
No one could stop me, or the “me” inside
the person I saw in the mirror was only the
reflection of the monster I saw inside
the one I tried to run away from
but, running wasn’t enough this time
And as I stare into that empty abyss,
I can’t help but, feel complete again.
This was one mistake I wasn’t ready to fix
nor did I ever want to.
I was finally beautiful,
a beautiful, little fool.
- Brianne Berlin
Art By JoHanna
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