Sunday, May 27, 2012

The Shattered Vase

You collected wild flowers,
rested them on my head like a crown;
I was your queen.
The rest, you rearranged over my heart --
the meeting place
of bees, lovers and butterflies.

We were the envy of strangers.
Like a Monet, distance was our ally.

They glanced at us,
they wanted to look closer but
we kept moving
further and further away from them
because that was how we were meant to be seen.

You see that glamorous frame?
It is nothing but cardboard.

And the picture
you believed is a masterful work of art
is just a million puzzle pieces --
a million puzzle pieces that don’t fit together,
glued together.

I used to talk for hours without saying anything.
I spoke of nothing because you did not hear me. 

With every word left unheard,
every little piece mislaid and ground to ash
and the lies arbitrarily falling into the cracks
of the broken vase,
there was nothing left to restore.

The flowers had wilted. The crown had fallen.
But you saw what they wanted to see.

You asked me to hold it together one more time.
Were these words of wisdom or folly?
I knew these pieces did not fit together.
And one cannot put together shattered glass
and call it a vase again. 

© 2012 Helena Malheur 

4 comments:

  1. So very true...it's so easy to judge and say 'they are the perfect couple' when actually, there's so much else going on...nothing is as perfect as it sometimes seems...lovely poem, Helena. The first stanza is beautiful "The rest, you rearranged over my heart --
    the meeting place
    of bees, lovers and butterflies... :)

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  2. It is indeed easy to admire anything from a distance, never knowing what is truly at its core. Thanks every so much, Louise! It's so kind of you to stop by and comment.

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  3. I love the imagery, so very vivid. In reading this, I get an image in my head, as if I were shooting a video to go with your poem. Such truth in the words, often we hold things together, everything looking so perfect on the surface; when in reality we're just trying to hold the shards together, not sure even why we are doing so. Beautifully written.

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    Replies
    1. Beth,

      You're right. Who knows why we hold it together knowing things are falling apart? Perhaps it's because it is easier to face than facing the unknown?

      Thank you kindly for taking the time to read and comment.

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