To be so innocent…

She was, at first glance, perfect – resting on the mantelpiece her soft round eyes gazed out at a world beyond her reach.

Delicate, young, naïve, words repeated so often as to become truth and substance. She embodied these words. Not once did her smile falter, a beautiful and timeless treasure, admired and then forgotten.

She delighted in the fragile nature of her being, the cherished doll of so many. Sitting alone on her mantle, she would be what they loved.

Perfect.

No hair out-of-place, no flaw upon her smooth porcelain face – forever the same, unchanged and innocent.

The First of many cracks…

It started as the smallest of cracks impossible to see, insubstantial to us but for her life changing. How had no one noticed? Didn’t this new mark make her something less, something unwanted? No, they treated her as they always had.

The idea sent her mind spinning.

As the fissure spread, it brought a sudden surge of unfamiliar emotions and anguish.  It traveled the length of her arm; she felt helpless – they would get rid of her now. This fracture, this imperfection was too large to conceal.

She tried to repair the damage, piece herself back together. You might never see how damaged and hurt she was.

Maybe they were right? She should just sit here on her little shelf and smile.

This world was too much for her.

……………………………

Okay so this is a portion a short story and/or poem I am working on. I started out writing a poem and the words just kept coming out of me. This whole idea stemmed from a lot of anxiety and hard truths about myself and my life.

I really want to get this polished up enough to possibly submit to a literary magazine – there is also the prospect of writing and publishing my own small ebook of flash fiction and poetry.

I would love any feedback, even if it is just clicking the like button.

Thank you,

Alisha Kendall