I'm rearranging my pieces,
scrambling and unscrambling them,
shifting and shoving.
Some got bent,
twisted into the wrong
chalk outlines,
mismatched squares in round holes,
desiccated souls where
whole bodies should be.
I'm not sure if my efforts
are even possible
or plausible,
but I want to try...
to rebrand,
rebuild,
reinvent myself.
So I will.
I'll push my weathered hands down
past this dry, cracked soil
that's crumbling
in this cemetery plot where
I've been wasting away while
life keeps on living,
to get to the core of what
it means to be me.
I'll reach deep and deeper,
filling my mouth,
swallowing down
the rich brown earth below
until I can taste the change,
feel my pulse slow as the scent of
hope pushes past my clogged nostrils,
the sound of peaceful silence
ringing in my overstuffed ears,
blocking the voices shouting
out my lack of worth.
And then finally, at long last,
open my dirt-caked eyes
to watch as the blinders
fall away and my perspective
s h i f t s.
The ending drifts away,
circling back around
to cling to the beginning.
A drum beat pounds out the rhythm
to my resuscitated heart.
I emerge a patchwork of new and old
pieces stitched together
in a blend of past, present, and future–
wholly me.
____________________________________________________
Thank you for reading!
Author's note: I love that 'earth' and 'heart' are intertwined. Simply shift the 'h' :)
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
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Comments (34)
Oh, congrats, you know, on another Top Story that you deserve, pal!
This is just spectacular. Sorry I took so long to get to it. This is just...yes...and you used dessicated. Which I love and I too love the heart and earth play. Wonderfuk...powerful...just yeah. Ms Hubler. You astound me. Findamndinzilch.
Just circled back to congratulate you on Top Story. The Vocal curators really got it right on this one!
Extremely powerful and raw piece ❤️💕👏🥰
Great work as always my friend! Congrats!!!
This is intriguing I love how the patchwork of nature acts as a metaphor for how you, as a human being relate to our planet, Earth.
Back to say congratulations on your Top Story! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
Excellent. ❤
So masterfully done. Congrats on a well deserved Top Story
Wow so beautiful ❤️
An incredibly beautiful piece, Heather. Congrats on the top story!
Some great images here, excellent work
Congrats on Top Story! Wonderful poem!
Psst. Congrats on the TS, Empress.
Love the imagery of digging deep and the fact that you did just that in this one. Truly an oustanding piece, Heather! - Bro
Such vivid imagery. I'm trying to pick my favorite line, but there are too many really good ones.
Read this story:https://vocal.media/writers/unveiling-the-genius-behind-goku
‘Open my dirt caked eyes’ These words and ever other one in this piece re@cues out to me….to spring and to say there is a new beginning. Congratulations
Congrats on Top Story!🥳🥳🥳
Gorgeous, heart-felt work as always! The emotion you manage to weave into your pieces always brings me to my knees. Amazing poem, dear friend! 😍
“I'll push my weathered hands down past this dry, cracked soil that's crumbling in this cemetery plot where I've been wasting away while life keeps on living”. POW 💥
Such a vulnerable piece. This resonates with me 💖
Strong poetry! I think this is my favorite bit: "swallowing down the rich brown earth below until I can taste the change"
You have depth layers here that are incredible! I could feel the stages of change in my gut. I like this "No-skimming-through-the-hard-parts-cuz-ya-gonna-get-the-full-Monty" type writing you did here. It demands reflection without apology. Makes us ALL think...
I like the being one with earth metaphor. Body and soul comes together for inspirational new beginnings. Bloody well done!