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No, Not a Monster

just a girl

By ShalsPublished 7 months ago 1 min read
Top Story - June 2025
No, Not a Monster
Photo by Sarah Lee on Unsplash

I was precipitate before a setting sun,

wanting and wasted, temerarious in hope,

devoted endlessly to the idea

that even people come in pairs.

I am afraid of the eternity of this ocean –

a darkening blue I can’t see past.

I have built cities at rock bottom,

yet still remain limber in

hopes and effervescent dreams –

choking on the smoke of burned bridges

while my world floods dark blue.

Who am I, but a monster?

No, not a monster – Godzilla is not so terrible,

quiet in his solitude.

I may be a villain with ease,

but I am also just a girl in her room,

telling the piano her secrets and

letting time ruin perfect things.

I thought gold could

put all the pieces back together.

I yearn to finish the parts I cannot reach

so I hunt with blackening earnest,

breaking and undoing on an endless rise

from a darkening blue.

If you want to know,

don't ask me to rake coals on my arms

and protest quiet whispers of fading devotion.

No - ask me the shape of my loneliness.

I will show you the sun.

I wrote this piece for a writing prompt titled "The Shape of Solitude", but I missed the deadline by a minute. The piece feels unfinished and unpolished, but I think that the form encapsulates the themes of being broken and not fully whole. I was intending to have an even number of lines, but I chose to have an odd number, feeling it was more appropriate. With each idea, I wanted to leave the reader with a feeling of missing something, a mirrored feeling of yearning.

Mental Health

About the Creator

Shals

a quest in modern poetry | a challenge to find the right words

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Comments (10)

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  • Madison "Maddy" Newton7 months ago

    Definitely conveys what you were going for, very well done. Congrats on Top Story!

  • Victor Mendez7 months ago

    I am envious. You write how I feel.

  • Cyrus7 months ago

    Congrats on TS!

  • Lamar Wiggins7 months ago

    I think you successfully accomplished what you set out to do. Truly a great read! Congrats

  • Back to say congratulations on your Top Story! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊

  • angela hepworth7 months ago

    I thought this was absolutely incredible! The way you delve into brokenness and loneliness here is really gut-punching.

  • This was hauntingly beautiful. The rawness, the quiet ache, the image of “cities at rock bottom” will stay with me. It may feel unfinished to you—but that incompleteness speaks louder than perfection ever could. 🌙

  • Aspen Marie 7 months ago

    Beautiful, I love it!

  • Oh no, I'm so sorry you missed the deadline 🥺 Your poem was so relatable and beautifully written. Loved it!

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