A handsome gift
Not on the wedding list
Elegantly packaged
Glass figurine
Bride & groom
Entwined in first dance
Wrapped up in each other
On the box's base
Clear but concealed
Warning:
Repeated exposure to heat & cold
Can expose invisible cracks

you are not purely
made up of
sunflowers and soft
vanilla candles.
nor are you purely
made up of
stardust and poetry.
you're made up of
thorns and bitter tastes.
you're made up of
thunderstorms and
fractured words
too.

"Hide in here."

I shut the shelter,
securing my sister

within the hanging
fabric shells,

shrouding her
in my protection.

The first bomb erupts,
shattering peace into pieces

of cheap glass,
coating the floor

like ice on a bridge. Danger,
bridge freezes before road.

Mom begins to wail,
but the siren signals too late

to escape the collision:
His words—Her heart.

And I will never fear
Sticks and Stones.

Instead, I will fear
Words. Disgustful

syllables strung together
to guillotine my mind.

I wish it had been me
sealed inside the shelter.

"Dad is home."

The cold breeze is the reflection of how cold my soul is

The tangled thread is the reflection of how jumble my mind is

The empty canvas is the reflection of how blank my stares are

The rusty chain is the reflection of how weak my faith is

The glass is the reflection of how fragile my heart is

Faces painted all around
but they made no sound
Seeking glass eyes found;
Open book kept bound

Why did you choose me?
My body surrenders to this fragile state
I am water compared to your silhouette, to your fire
I drip, slip and drown from the waves crashing over me
The ocean cannot contain gasoline because once lit the flames won't melt me they'll ignite me

When your fragile world comes crashing down around you, you realize your place.
For now, we're stuck in our endless loop, this endless race we face.

The shatter of your heart replays in your mind, leaving nothing but broken behind.