He said she’d changed him,
reformed his spine.
Snapped each vertebrae to suit herself
and left him hunched
over what remained of his heart.
The next came with healing hand,
or so she thought
when she tried to gouge out the broken
and cover the cracks
with masking tape and flesh tone plasters.
The last stamped, kicked and flew in.
Tested the breaks,
how much she could ask,
what he would give,
never demanded scars be explained.
“We all are damaged,” she said,
“We all bear marks.
What counts is the follow up,
if you’re one to fall
or build something stronger with another.”
Like this:
Like Loading...
Published by Carol J Forrester
Carol J Forrester is a writer and a history geek. Her debut collection 'It's All In The Blood' came out November 2019.
She has a 2:1 BA degree in history from Bath Spa University, enjoys judo at least twice a week, and tries to attend poetry events around the Midlands when she can.
Her flash fiction story ‘Glorious Silence’ was named as River Ram Press’ short story of the month for August 2014 and her short story ‘A Visit From The Fortune Teller’ has been showcased on the literary site Ink Pantry. Her poems ‘Sunsets’ and ‘Clear Out‘ were featured on Eyes Plus Words, and two of her poems were included in the DVerse Poets Pub Publication ‘Chiaroscuro’ which is available for purchase on amazon.Her poem ‘Until The Light Gets In‘ was accepted and published at The Drabble and her poem ‘Newborn’ was published by Ink Sweat & Tears.
She has been lucky enough to write guest posts for sites such as Inky Tavern and Song of The Forlorn and has hosted a number of guest bloggers on her site Writing and Works.
View all posts by Carol J Forrester
Writing and Works 
It’s really a beautiful poem. Thanks, I’m glad to have read it.
I’m glad that you enjoyed it. Thank you for the comment.
Love how you ended this… so much truth… we all carry scars, either physical or mental… it’s all about how you wear them and what comes after…
Thank you, I was a little worried about the ending and if it fit well enough with the rest of the poem. It is reassuring to hear that you enjoyed it.
cool…vivid writing…the snapping of the bones in place up front around the heart…whew….the close, is warm…the understanding that we all have scars…and not demanding an explanation but accepting…
I’m glad that my writing had an impact and thank you for such a detailed comment. I love to hear which bits of my writing in particular have the most impact.
you capture synergy here, one plus one is greater than two.
Thank you, I’m glad that you think so.
I think coming out stronger is a great sentiment… I share your views-.
Thank you.