a-little-writing-blog

[a-little-writing-blog]

I also like the version where it goes very much like the first one, except the scorpion, instead if saying it was in their nature replies, "ah, but little frog, I know how to swim."

A scorpion, not knowing how to swim, asked a frog to carry it across the river. “Do I look like a fool?” said the frog. “You’d sting me if I let you on my back!”

“Be logical,” said the scorpion. “If I stung you I’d certainly drown myself.”

“That’s true,” the frog acknowledged. “Climb aboard, then!” But no sooner than they were halfway across the river, the scorpion stung the frog, and they both began to thrash and drown. “Why on earth did you do that?” the frog said morosely. “Now we’re both going to die.” 

“I can’t help it,” said the scorpion. “It’s my nature.”

___

…But no sooner than they were halfway across the river, the frog felt a subtle motion on its back, and in a panic dived deep beneath the rushing waters, leaving the scorpion to drown.

“It was going to sting me anyway,” muttered the frog, emerging on the other side of the river. “It was inevitable. You all knew it. Everyone knows what those scorpions are like. It was self-defense.”

___

…But no sooner had they cast off from the bank, the frog felt the tip of a stinger pressed lightly against the back of its neck. “What do you think you’re doing?” said the frog.

“Just a precaution,” said the scorpion. “I cannot sting you without drowning. And now, you cannot drown me without being stung. Fair’s fair, isn’t it?”

They swam in silence to the other end of the river, where the scorpion climbed off, leaving the frog fuming.

“After the kindness I showed you!” said the frog. “And you threatened to kill me in return?”

“Kindness?” said the scorpion. “To only invite me on your back after you knew I was defenseless, unable to use my tail without killing myself? My dear frog, I only treated you as I was treated. Your kindness was as poisoned as a scorpion’s sting.”

___

…“Just a precaution,” said the scorpion. “I cannot sting you without drowning. And now, you cannot drown me without being stung. Fair’s fair, isn’t it?”

“You have a point,” the frog acknowledged. “But once we get to dry land, couldn’t you sting me then without repercussion?”

“All I want is to cross the river safely,” said the scorpion. “Once I’m on the other side I would gladly let you be.”

“But I would have to trust you on that,” said the frog. “While you’re pressing a stinger to my neck. By ferrying you to land I’d be be giving up the one deterrent I hold over you.”

“But by the same logic, I can’t possibly withdraw my stinger while we’re still over water,” the scorpion protested.

The frog paused in the middle of the river, treading water. “So, I suppose we’re at an impasse.”

The river rushed around them. The scorpion’s stinger twitched against the frog’s unbroken skin. “I suppose so,” the scorpion said.

___

A scorpion, not knowing how to swim, asked a frog to carry it across the river. “Absolutely not!” said the frog, and dived beneath the waters, and so none of them learned anything.

___

A scorpion, being unable to swim, asked a turtle (as in the original Persian version of the fable) to carry it across the river. The turtle readily agreed, and allowed the scorpion aboard its shell. Halfway across, the scorpion gave in to its nature and stung, but failed to penetrate the turtle’s thick shell. The turtle, swimming placidly, failed to notice.

They reached the other side of the river, and parted ways as friends.

___

…Halfway across, the scorpion gave in to its nature and stung, but failed to penetrate the turtle’s thick shell.

The turtle, hearing the tap of the scorpion’s sting, was offended at the scorpion’s ungratefulness. Thankfully, having been granted the powers to both defend itself and to punish evil, the turtle sank beneath the waters and drowned the scorpion out of principle.

___

A scorpion, not knowing how to swim, asked a frog to carry it across the river. “Do I look like a fool?” sneered the frog. “You’d sting me if I let you on my back.”

The scorpion pleaded earnestly. “Do you think so little of me? Please, I must cross the river. What would I gain from stinging you? I would only end up drowning myself!”

“That’s true,” the frog acknowledged. “Even a scorpion knows to look out for its own skin. Climb aboard, then!”

But as they forged through the rushing waters, the scorpion grew worried. This frog thinks me a ruthless killer, it thought. Would it not be justified in throwing me off now and ridding the world of me? Why else would it agree to this? Every jostle made the scorpion more and more anxious, until the frog surged forward with a particularly large splash, and in panic the scorpion lashed out with its stinger.

“I knew it,” snarled the frog, as they both thrashed and drowned. “A scorpion cannot change its nature.”

___

A scorpion, not knowing how to swim, asked a frog to carry it across the river. The frog agreed, but no sooner than they were halfway across the scorpion stung the frog, and they both began to thrash and drown.

“I’ve only myself to blame,” sighed the frog, as they both sank beneath the waters. “You, you’re a scorpion, I couldn’t have expected anything better. But I knew better, and yet I went against my judgement! And now I’ve doomed us both!”

“You couldn’t help it,” said the scorpion mildly. “It’s your nature.” 

___

…“Why on earth did you do that?” the frog said morosely. “Now we’re both going to die.”

“Alas, I was of two natures,” said the scorpion. “One said to gratefully ride your back across the river, and the other said to sting you where you stood. And so both fought, and neither won.” It smiled wistfully. “Ah, it would be nice to be just one thing, wouldn’t it? Unadulterated in nature. Without the capacity for conflict or regret.”

___

“By the way,” said the frog, as they swam, “I’ve been meaning to ask: What’s on the other side of the river?”

“It’s the journey,” said the scorpion. “Not the destination.”

___

…“What’s on the other side of anything?” said the scorpion. “A new beginning.”

___

…”Another scorpion to mate with,” said the scorpion. “And more prey to kill, and more living bodies to poison, and a forthcoming lineage of cruelties that you will be culpable in.”

___

…”Nothing we will live to see, I fear,” said the scorpion. “Already the currents are growing stronger, and the river seems like it shall swallow us both. We surge forward, and the shoreline recedes. But does that mean our striving was in vain?”

___

“I love you,” said the scorpion.

The frog glanced upward. “Do you?”

“Absolutely. Can you imagine the fear of drowning? Of course not. You’re a frog. Might as well be scared of breathing air. And yet here I am, clinging to your back, as the waters rage around us. Isn’t that love? Isn’t that trust? Isn’t that necessity? I could not kill you without killing myself. Are we not inseparable in this?”

The frog swam on, the both of them silent.

___

“I’m so tired,” murmured the frog eventually. “How much further to the other side? I don’t know how long we’ve been swimming. I’ve been treading water. And it’s getting so very dark.”

“Shh,” the scorpion said. “Don’t be afraid.”

The frog’s legs kicked out weakly. “How long has it been? We’re lost. We’re lost! We’re doomed to be cast about the waters forever. There is no land. There’s nothing on the other side, don’t you see!”

“Shh, shh,” said the scorpion. “My venom is a hallucinogenic. Beneath its surface, the river is endlessly deep, its currents carrying many things.” 

“You - You’ve killed us both,” said the frog, and began to laugh deliriously. “Is this - is this what it’s like to drown?” 

“We’ve killed each other,” said the scorpion soothingly. “My venom in my glands now pulsing through your veins, the waters of your birthing pool suffusing my lungs. We are engulfing each other now, drowning in each other. I am breathless. Do you feel it? Do you feel my sting pierced through your heart?”

“What a foolish thing to do,” murmured the frog. “No logic. No logic to it at all.”

“We couldn’t help it,” whispered the scorpion. “It’s our natures. Why else does anything in the world happen? Because we were made for this from birth, darling, every moment inexplicable and inevitable. What a crazy thing it is to fall in love, and yet - It’s all our fault! We are both blameless. We’re together now, darling. It couldn’t have happened any other way.”

___

“It’s funny,” said the frog. “I can’t say that I trust you, really. Or that I even think very much of you and that nasty little stinger of yours to begin with. But I’m doing this for you regardless. It’s strange, isn’t it? It’s strange. Why would I do this? I want to help you, want to go out of my way to help you. I let you climb right onto my back! Now, whyever would I go and do a foolish thing like that?”

___

A scorpion, not knowing how to swim, asked a frog to carry it across the river. “Do I look like a fool?” said the frog. “You’d sting me if I let you on my back!”

“Be logical,” said the scorpion. “If I stung you I’d certainly drown myself.”  

“That’s true,” the frog acknowledged. “Come aboard, then!” But no sooner had the scorpion mounted the frog’s back than it began to sting, repeatedly, while still safely on the river’s bank.

The frog groaned, thrashing weakly as the venom coursed through its veins, beginning to liquefy its flesh. “Ah,” it muttered. “For some reason I never considered this possibility.”

“Because you were never scared of me,” the scorpion whispered in its ear. “You were never scared of dying. In a past life you wore a shell and sat in judgement. And then you were reborn: soft-skinned, swift, unburdened, as new and vulnerable as a child, moving anew through a world of children. How could anyone ever be cruel, you thought, seeing the precariousness of it all?” The scorpion bowed its head and drank. “How could anyone kill you without killing themselves?”

[a-little-writing-blog]

You make it easy to become lost in the fervor of worship. In our intimate moments you are the idol I pray to.

[a-little-writing-blog]

ATTENTION WRITERS

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[a-little-writing-blog]

Some people are born stars. They're meant to burn.

I hope it's with joy.

#poetry #poem #original poem #angst #fluff #hopeful #writing

[a-little-writing-blog]

Edited

Phantoms in the Making

I was thinking about this noose around our necks

How I could see it drawing tighter

We keep our hands at the level of our eyes

And pretend our arms aren't heavy

I can see your trembling, as I know you see mine

Not the shaking in your limbs, but the fear in your eyes

I feel it too

But not when I'm with you

My knees may weaken when I meet your gaze

And I fall a little more every day

But I'll never let my hand drop

Not as long as you're still beside me

[a-little-writing-blog]

This doesn't feel like before

There are no screams echoing

Back from places I can't see

Being alone is the same as being empty

It's quiet

Gone is the violent thrashing

The viscious tearing

The fight that came with staying alive

It's peaceful

There are ripples

Reminders of distant shores

Places I left behind

Trying not to drown

They ache for me

It's kind

"You know, this feeling could last forever."

Something whispers

I know this voice

I try not to look behind me

The empty earth waiting

I know the gravestone carries my name

#poem #poetry #writing #recovery #depression #peace #healing

[a-little-writing-blog]

Words to replace said, except this actually helps

I got pretty fed up with looking for words to replace said because they weren’t sorted in a way I could easily use/find them for the right time. So I did some myself.

IN RESPONSE TO Acknowledged Answered Protested

INPUT/JOIN CONVERSATION/ASK Added Implored Inquired Insisted Proposed Queried Questioned Recommended Testified

GUILTY/RELUCTANCE/SORRY Admitted Apologized Conceded Confessed Professed

FOR SOMEONE ELSE Advised Criticized Suggested

JUST CHECKING Affirmed Agreed Alleged Confirmed

LOUD Announced Chanted Crowed

LEWD/CUTE/SECRET SPY FEEL Appealed Disclosed Moaned

ANGRY FUCK OFF MATE WANNA FIGHT Argued Barked Challenged Cursed Fumed Growled Hissed Roared Swore

SMARTASS Articulated Asserted Assured Avowed Claimed Commanded Cross-examined Demanded Digressed Directed Foretold Instructed Interrupted Predicted Proclaimed Quoted Theorized

ASSHOLE Bellowed Boasted Bragged

NERVOUS TRAINWRECK Babbled Bawled Mumbled Sputtered Stammered Stuttered

SUAVE MOTHERFUCKER Bargained Divulged Disclosed Exhorted

FIRST OFF Began

LASTLY Concluded Concurred

WEAK PUSY Begged Blurted Complained Cried Faltered Fretted

HAPPY/LOL Cajoled Exclaimed Gushed Jested Joked Laughed

WEIRDLY HAPPY/EXCITED Extolled Jabbered Raved

BRUH, CHILL Cautioned Warned

ACTUALLY, YOU’RE WRONG Chided Contended Corrected Countered Debated Elaborated Objected Ranted Retorted

CHILL SAVAGE Commented Continued Observed Surmised

LISTEN BUDDY Enunciated Explained Elaborated Hinted Implied Lectured Reiterated Recited Reminded Stressed

BRUH I NEED U AND U NEED ME Confided Offered Urged

FINE Consented Decided

TOO EMO FULL OF EMOTIONS Croaked Lamented Pledged Sobbed Sympathized Wailed Whimpered

JUST SAYING Declared Decreed Mentioned Noted Pointed out Postulated Speculated Stated Told Vouched

WASN’T ME Denied Lied

EVIL SMARTASS Dictated Equivocated Ordered Reprimanded Threatened

BORED Droned Sighed

SHHHH IT’S QUIET TIME Echoed Mumbled Murmured Muttered Uttered Whispered

DRAMA QUEEN Exaggerated Panted Pleaded Prayed Preached

OH SHIT Gasped Marveled Screamed Screeched Shouted Shrieked Yelped Yelled

ANNOYED Grumbled Grunted Jeered Quipped Scolded Snapped Snarled Sneered

ANNOYING Nagged

I DON’T REALLY CARE BUT WHATEVER Guessed Ventured

I’M DRUNK OR JUST BEING WEIRDLY EXPRESSIVE FOR A POINT/SARCASM Hooted Howled Yowled

I WONDER Pondered Voiced Wondered

OH, YEAH, WHOOPS Recalled Recited Remembered

SURPRISE BITCH Revealed

IT SEEMS FAKE BUT OKAY/HA ACTUALLY FUNNY BUT I DON’T WANT TO LAUGH OUT LOUD Scoffed Snickered Snorted

BITCHY Tattled Taunted Teased

Edit: People, I’m an English and creative writing double major in college; I understand that there’s nothing wrong with simply using “said.” This was just for fun, and it comes in handy when I need to add pizzazz. 

[a-little-writing-blog]

hey writers! OneLook Thesaurus lets you find that word you can’t think of but can describe! go check it out!

[a-little-writing-blog]

Tell me if I let you down

Reach out to me if I push you away

I've spent so long with my head down

It's hard to see what could be in front of me

If you ask me to walk with you

I could march through hell

I wouldn't even bat an eye

Because it all looks the same

When I'm staring at my feet

And your hand is in mine

#poem #poetry #writing #love poems #love #in love #my work

[a-little-writing-blog]

Phantoms in the Making

I was thinking about this noose around our necks

How I could see it drawing tighter

We keep our hands at the level of our eyes

And pretend our arms aren't heavy

I can see your trembling, as I know you see mine

Not the shaking in your limbs, but the fear in your eyes

I feel it too

But not when I'm with you

My knees may weaken when I meet your gaze

And I fall a little more every day

But I'll never let my hand drop

Not as long as you're still beside me

#poetry #poem #writing #love #depression #love poem #hang in there

[a-little-writing-blog]

If I had Known Would you Still be Alive?

I remember being dissapointed

When you would flake out on me

You were always so reliable

Sometimes you were the only one

I could lean on

But something happened, something changed

Or maybe it just took me a long time to notice

You tried to hide it for so long

You started falling short

And at first, I understood

You hadn't failed me before

It had to happen sometime

It's only fair

I had begun to wonder if you were human at all

With how much you juggled

It was comforting to see you drop a ball

But then it kept happening

And I started having to clean them up

"What's going on? Are you okay?"

You would smile, sometimes convincingly

"Yeah, sorry, it just didn't come together today."

I lashed out once

"Is it really so much to ask you to sweep? You live here! What's got you so lazy?"

You stood there quietly and then nodded

"You're right. Sorry. I'll be better."

An apologetic smile on your face

The floors were swept, but I saw you less

I tried to apologize about it after I put together the connection

"Why are you apologizing? You were right. You still are. I wasn't pulling my weight."

There wasn't any bitterness in your eyes

There wasn't much of anything

You still smiled at me

"I'm sorry I've neglected you. I'll be better."

So I saw you more, the floors were swept

You slept less

You would still get things done

But I got annoyed seeing you only wake up when I got home

I'd been working for hours

And you'd been sleeping?

It grated on me

Still, the floors were swept, and I saw you the same

I held it in

I didn't notice how little you ate

How little you drank

I didn't notice how you stopped talking about your day

You always kept asking me about mine

Always asked about my friends

I didn't notice how you stopped talking about yours

You always smiled

I remember clearing out the fridge of rotted food

Wondering how we had wasted so much

It makes sense now

I had been stressed

Angry at work and was so happy to get a break

I asked if it was really okay to leave you the chores that weekend

I hadn't gone on a trip in awhile and you seemed tired, but you chuckled

"Of course, go have fun with your friends."

I frowned and shoved your shoulder lightly

"You're my friend too."

You smiled and gave me a hug

"Go have fun."

I came home to swept floors, a clean home, a fed cat

But not you

#poem #poetry #writing #tw suicide #depression #I wonder if this is how my friends will remember me

[a-little-writing-blog]

Resources for Writing Injuries

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Concussion

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Pulmonary contusion

Broken Ribs

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Keep reading

[a-little-writing-blog]

Apparently a lot of people get dialogue punctuation wrong despite having an otherwise solid grasp of grammar, possibly because they’re used to writing essays rather than prose. I don’t wanna be the asshole who complains about writing errors and then doesn’t offer to help, so here are the basics summarized as simply as I could manage on my phone (“dialogue tag” just refers to phrases like “he said,” “she whispered,” “they asked”):

“For most dialogue, use a comma after the sentence and don’t capitalize the next word after the quotation mark,” she said.

“But what if you’re using a question mark rather than a period?” they asked.

“When using a dialogue tag, you never capitalize the word after the quotation mark unless it’s a proper noun!” she snapped.

“When breaking up a single sentence with a dialogue tag,” she said, “use commas.”

“This is a single sentence,” she said. “Now, this is a second stand-alone sentence, so there’s no comma after ‘she said.’”

“There’s no dialogue tag after this sentence, so end it with a period rather than a comma.” She frowned, suddenly concerned that the entire post was as unasked for as it was sanctimonious.

[a-little-writing-blog]

Words to replace said, except this actually helps

I got pretty fed up with looking for words to replace said because they weren’t sorted in a way I could easily use/find them for the right time. So I did some myself.

IN RESPONSE TO Acknowledged Answered Protested

INPUT/JOIN CONVERSATION/ASK Added Implored Inquired Insisted Proposed Queried Questioned Recommended Testified

GUILTY/RELUCTANCE/SORRY Admitted Apologized Conceded Confessed Professed

FOR SOMEONE ELSE Advised Criticized Suggested

JUST CHECKING Affirmed Agreed Alleged Confirmed

LOUD Announced Chanted Crowed

LEWD/CUTE/SECRET SPY FEEL Appealed Disclosed Moaned

ANGRY FUCK OFF MATE WANNA FIGHT Argued Barked Challenged Cursed Fumed Growled Hissed Roared Swore

SMARTASS Articulated Asserted Assured Avowed Claimed Commanded Cross-examined Demanded Digressed Directed Foretold Instructed Interrupted Predicted Proclaimed Quoted Theorized

ASSHOLE Bellowed Boasted Bragged

NERVOUS TRAINWRECK Babbled Bawled Mumbled Sputtered Stammered Stuttered

SUAVE MOTHERFUCKER Bargained Divulged Disclosed Exhorted

FIRST OFF Began

LASTLY Concluded Concurred

WEAK PUSY Begged Blurted Complained Cried Faltered Fretted

HAPPY/LOL Cajoled Exclaimed Gushed Jested Joked Laughed

WEIRDLY HAPPY/EXCITED Extolled Jabbered Raved

BRUH, CHILL Cautioned Warned

ACTUALLY, YOU’RE WRONG Chided Contended Corrected Countered Debated Elaborated Objected Ranted Retorted

CHILL SAVAGE Commented Continued Observed Surmised

LISTEN BUDDY Enunciated Explained Elaborated Hinted Implied Lectured Reiterated Recited Reminded Stressed

BRUH I NEED U AND U NEED ME Confided Offered Urged

FINE Consented Decided

TOO EMO FULL OF EMOTIONS Croaked Lamented Pledged Sobbed Sympathized Wailed Whimpered

JUST SAYING Declared Decreed Mentioned Noted Pointed out Postulated Speculated Stated Told Vouched

WASN’T ME Denied Lied

EVIL SMARTASS Dictated Equivocated Ordered Reprimanded Threatened

BORED Droned Sighed

SHHHH IT’S QUIET TIME Echoed Mumbled Murmured Muttered Uttered Whispered

DRAMA QUEEN Exaggerated Panted Pleaded Prayed Preached

OH SHIT Gasped Marveled Screamed Screeched Shouted Shrieked Yelped Yelled

ANNOYED Grumbled Grunted Jeered Quipped Scolded Snapped Snarled Sneered

ANNOYING Nagged

I DON’T REALLY CARE BUT WHATEVER Guessed Ventured

I’M DRUNK OR JUST BEING WEIRDLY EXPRESSIVE FOR A POINT/SARCASM Hooted Howled Yowled

I WONDER Pondered Voiced Wondered

OH, YEAH, WHOOPS Recalled Recited Remembered

SURPRISE BITCH Revealed

IT SEEMS FAKE BUT OKAY/HA ACTUALLY FUNNY BUT I DON’T WANT TO LAUGH OUT LOUD Scoffed Snickered Snorted

BITCHY Tattled Taunted Teased

[a-little-writing-blog]

Writing Tip - #02:

10 Ways to Hook your Readers

1. Avoid Info Dumps: If characters already know the information themselves, there's no need for either one to go into details about them. Tell the reader something new. Drop hints through context or small commentary and let the reader fill in the gaps.

2. Cut Filler Intros & Outros: Please spare your reader the, "Hi, how are you?" "I'm fine, thanks, and you?" and other small talk. It can be avoided, serves little to no purpose, unless there's meaning behind it, and most of the time we don't talk like that ourselves irl.

3. Enliven With Conflict: Occasional conflict and keeps dialogue interesting. Don't have everything go to plan, blow something up, someone defects, they got what they wanted but that was a mistake in itself.

4. Give Each Character a Voice: Who's the sarcastic one? Who's more bubbly or happy-go-lucky? Who's the enthusastic one? Who's the doom and gloom? It can be more than one as we are, but they all have a unique aspect to them. Let it show.

5. Don't Overuse Dialogue Tags: "He said" "She said" and variants should only be used if the reader can't tell who's speaking. Instead, describe things they're doing as they talk! Think back, do you and another just stand there still while talking or are both of you doing something as you do? Tell the reader this and have them follow who's know this way.

6. Punctuate & Format Well: New lines are started where there is a change of speaker. Easy to distinguish. No one wants to read one long block of confusing text.

7. Read Dialogue Aloud: Your ear will not lie to you. Read the words back and listen closely. Cut what sounds unnatural. Have someone else read it for you aloud. Your dialogue can only improve from this, that's a promise.

8. Reveal Character Insights: What does a character's speech tell us about their age, background, or culture? Do they talk using certain slang? Do they make constant references to a place or time? Are their comparisons very specific to something? Maybe the experiences they retell are often based around precise events? Unlimited ways reveling information without openly saying it, and the readers will want to put the pieces together to figure what the deal with the character is.

9. Use Action & Gesture: Again, what do characters do while talking? Are they jittery? Are they distracted, looking around the room? Do they deviate their sight from the person they're talking to? What are their hands doing? Are they walking? What's the look on their face? Are they happy to be talking? Excited? Sad? Bored? Are they jumping up and down with glee? "'I'm so happy,' he said." Okay!? Then SHOW ME HOW.

10. Use Silence with Speech: What could a pause, a hesitation, a trailing off suggest about a character's feelings? How often do you trail off in your own speech? How often do you simply cut off as you go into a thought or get interrupted or distracted by something? How many times have you tried talking but your voice breaks from sadness or exhaustion? Maybe you're laughing too much to talk? Or you're too excited to get the right words out! Use that!

[a-little-writing-blog]

“She hides in the shadows of unborn stars.”

—

[a-little-writing-blog]

Kintsugi

The first time I was broken

It was by clumsy hands that didn't know how to care

I kept my pieces stowed away

In an unassuming box, so no one would know

"What's in that one?"

People would ask, pointing to my perch

I would answer

"I am a cup! I help give sustenance to the thirsty!

I hold things that are small and precious and keep them safe!

I will keep them there waiting until you come home, and do so happily!"

They would nod, and I would do as I said

I knew I should be better though

"I was made for this!" I would cry

"Why am I so bad at it?"

The chips on my rim would sometimes cut those I helped

The handle I was missing made it harder

to protect everyone from the scalding things they placed in me

I was supposed to help!

Supposed to make this easy!

The second time I was broken

I had jumped

Better to be unusable than to keep hurting everyone

Someone picked me up and clumsily placed glue in between some of my peices

Now I was even more useless

Still, I served

One day, another cup was placed next to me

They were stunning

Broken, but gold and precious things filled their cracks

They smiled at me

"Do you like it?" They asked

I nodded, unable to speak

How can one voice such profound longing?

They reached out and touched the chips in my rim

And pulled away unharmed, the metal in them too strong to be hurt

"I can give you my tools." They said

"I don't need them anymore, I am loved and kept safe."

I reached out and accepted their gift

Pondering in silence when they left

I assembled my broken pieces in front of me

There were so many, this was going to take awhile

We'd been seperated for so long

Would they even still feel like me?

I reached inside of myself

To the precious things I was trusted with

Things that were forgotten, but I still guarded

They would help me now

I melted them down and placed them on my scars

It was excruciating

Made the wounds feel new, feel fresh

Made it feel worse as I finally realized how much damage had been done

I laid there for awhile

Recovering from placing the first piece

The other chipped cups shook their heads

"How can you do that to yourself? That's not for me."

They left me there with my pain and pieces

I looked at my new form

It almost made it look worse

Made me look half done

But I could *feel* that part of me again

I reached out to touch it

It didn't didn't fall away like so many times before

When I would carefully place parts of me and pretend I was still whole

I looked over to the now molten memories of the gifts I had been given

I was afraid, it had hurt so much

But there was no returning those gifts anymore

I won't waste them

So I will burn myself again

Again

Again

Until I am whole

The next time I jump

There will be someone there to catch me

And if I break

I'll put myself back together again

And I will be beautiful

#poem #poetry #writing #mental health #kintsugi #healing #love #self love #trauma #depression #therapy #motivation