Let it out, sweet soul. You’ll get no shushing from me. I will not murmur, “It’s all right,” when it most certainly isn’t. Instead, I will stand by you in awe.
What an exquisite thing it is to break; to be brave enough to come undone.
I remember a time when you swallowed down anything resembling weakness. I can still see clearly the firm set of your jaw as you took everything on the chin. I am so proud that you allow lips once pressed closed to wobble.
So, go ahead and cry. Take too long of a drag off your now-warm beer. Scream and cuss and tell me everything that went wrong. I am here to bear witness as the shards of your sanity scatter. It’s only a matter of time before I watch your shaking hands steady and begin to gather the pieces back up into a new version of yourself.
That mending will come. For now, let the pain be. I will sit in it with you and your shattered yet still-shining soul.
This story was written as part of a visual writing prompt project I started on Instagram. Each week I offer an image to spark stories and poetry. I make sure to always share a response of my own. They’re short; micro-fiction, really. Still, they’re stories I put energy into so I’m giving them a home here as part of a microfiction series. I hope you enjoy.
Oh my gawd this ripped my heart out.
Amazing how fast you got us to this moment. Absolutely love this line, “lips once pressed closed to wobble.”
I especially like that it’s being narrated. Who is this person saying all this? Really adds a layer to it that makes me want to keep reading.