“The Last Act of Romance”

The second poem I read at thrilLITERATE. I know it’s long (it’s about 5 pages), but I never write any poems that long, so I figured it would make this one all the more special.  It was also my first time slamming a poem in public, and having watched it a few times, I see where I could improve (ie. stopping less, keeping the flow going, more confident).  Either way, I’m pretty happy with the poem because I worked on it quite a bit and I feel like I really put in all my thoughts and feelings I had about this situation into poetry, which sometimes can be hard for me to do, especially when I feel like I MUST make it all poetic and stuff.

Enjoy!

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Back in 2007, I took part in Project Stitch, a project organized by local youth in preparation for World AIDS Day on December 1st. There were different activities divided amongst us and since I was into creative writing, I joined the Slam Poetry folks (which really consisted of me and two other girls). During my time there, I wrote this poem to express how I felt about people.

My bones remain broken,
My bruises visible.
The damage of deception, betrayal, and blistering words have cut
these canyons in my heart.
So I feebly kneel before the pieces, attempting to begin building these shards
But
Here comes an invited guest,
Loading up on trust,
Before walking away.
Followed by a mother,
And a lover,
Several others,
All taking a bite of what I’ve too freely handed out.
It’s not long till I’m left with my heart,
Stale as a rubber tire.

Without question, I leave my heart in the cold,
Until it is coated with frost and suspicion.

Without doubt, I construct and fortify layers of walls,
Of stone and insecurity.

Without hesitation, I put up frigid, heavy chains,
Melded from iron and isolation.

Every ending has its lessons:

My bones still remain broken,
But my bruises lay unseen,
Beneath this vast, desolate, empty entity
That I used to call “me”.