Sunday, August 17, 2014

(Out of) Focus



Broken, I was
in a thousand fifteen places.

Broken, then
in two hundred twenty-eight.

Broken, now am I
in ten plus seventeen.

And more—but why do I only see
the broken parts of me?

 

© 2014 Jennifer Wagner



27 comments:

Mary said...

Ah, I think it is best to find people who find and concentrate on the positive in a person rather than looking for the negatives. Life is too short to be around toxic people for long.

alan1704 said...

So much power in this and so real. Love the way you turn this and hit the heart. Excellent.

ZQ said...

Boy do I miss your stuff. Wonderful write.
ZQ

Audrey Howitt aka Divalounger said...

Great piece Jennifer! And yes, why do we see the broken parts of us so easily??

brudberg said...

we always see those broken parts.. wonder if we all have a piece of the snow-queen's mirror lodged in our eyes... those broken things are just not there if you don't search for them

janetld said...

It's true. We do sometimes only see the broken parts of ourselves. Is it because other humans teach us that we're broken? Your poems are always so creative and thought-provoking.

J, in the third one, should it be "I am," or am I reading things incorrectly?

Jennifer Wagner said...

Hey Janet, appreciate your kind words, as always! "am I" is intentional....I was using some poetic inversion.

RMP said...

an excellent question. maybe it is important to see all the puzzle pieces in order to construct anew.

Unknown said...

The poem I almost posted was along these lines (gotta tuck it away for a bit.) Life sure can break us apart and leave us bruised. Glad for the days when we can forget. Excellent piece

Sherry Blue Sky said...

Yes, why do we only see the broken parts of ourselves? Others do a good enough job of pointing them out.......Well penned, Jennifer. Stellar writing.

Grace said...

I so admire the use of numbers to echo the broken parts that we see ~ Love your title too ~

Wendy Bourke said...

Very evocative piece. Writing poetry is the most effective way I have found to dim the lights on the broken parts.

C.C. said...

This is both beautiful and heartbreaking. I think we tend to notice our broken parts because that is where the hurts reside and we are continually glancing back trying to heal them. Neurologically speaking, at least on a physical level, the brain is wired to focus on that which is the most painful, to the exclusion of lesser aches and pains, in order to attend to the most urgent physical crisis. Perhaps this tendency extends to our emotional lives as well sometimes. If this comment is a repeat, I apologize.....for some reason this is the fourth time I've tried to leave a comment and it keeps saying it doesn't recognize my credentials or something strange like that!!

Gabriella said...

I also wondered about the significance of the numbers you used. As for your question, I suppose it is part of human nature and we must learn to see the good, not only the broken.

Sumana Roy said...

I like the progression..there's a kind of let-go feeling..and the focus is gradually getting towards the whole and not on pieces...the final question confirms it...nice write :)

Claudia said...

true...we seem to see our own broken parts best... and maybe good to make peace with them... wondering about the numbers...

Anonymous said...

something about numbering - those make we wonder if they are random, or have a countable reality. At least yours are decreasing. mine multiply like fruit flies... ~

Optimistic Existentialist said...

I like that you chose numbers here to refer to the brokenness...do they mean anything in particular?

Anonymous said...

Ask myself this question, too. We probably all do. Good one.

Preeti S. said...

Your poem beautifully portrays the power of perspective. We remain so acutely aware of all our broken parts and are constantly on the look-out so that we can find them and fix them but at times, what is whole also appears to be cracked.

This is a brilliant and powerful piece. Loved this!

Brian Miller said...

i think we all see the broken...we miss that as you go along there are less broken pieces...they are still there...and what is intersting is that we often see the best in others....smiles..

Tank said...

One of my favorites! I think you're the greatest (just say'n :-)

Old Egg said...

The answer is that is your job, others see the beautiful parts of you.

Sadia Khan said...

Loved the title .... and yes, we see only the broken parts .... Gorgeous write, Jennifer .... Smiles!!

Magyar said...

In my thought, we see the -broken parts- to pass by and mend.

Nice, Jenn! _m

Anonymous said...

so powerful in few words.

Jennifer Wagner said...

Thanks for reading everyone! And thanks for the questions, too, about the numbers. Yes, they have some personal significance and are not random picks :)