Poets logo

shards of me

a poem about breaking and rebuilding

By angela hepworthPublished about a year ago 1 min read

to break bad

or to break even—

i have fragmented myself

all the same.

the pieces of me that once connected

are broken, and i can’t find myself

in their reflections anymore.

when i was together, and whole,

was i truly able to see myself

from the other side?

or was i an amalgamation of what

i wanted others to see in me?

to break clean

is not something i could have done

breaking is messy

and hard and painful and sharp

and the pieces of me jab and hurt

they are unforgiving

i am unforgiving

because i didn’t want to break

i wanted peace, even in war

i wanted comfort, even in a lie

i wanted a home in others

instead of within myself

the easy way out

is the only way in

and the only way i’d ever known

but i lost it

and now i stand

with shards of myself in my hands

my delusion cutting into my fingers

my past slicing into my skin

and i let it

i let myself bleed

and i feed the earth

with the power of my shattered soul

and i am lost and alone

yet intent to find

rather than to be found

Mental HealthStream of Consciousness

About the Creator

angela hepworth

Hello! I’m Angela and I enjoy writing fiction, poetry, reviews, and more. I delve into the dark, the sad, the silly, the sexy, and the stupid. Come check me out!

Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

Top insights

  1. Compelling and original writing

    Creative use of language & vocab

  2. Easy to read and follow

    Well-structured & engaging content

  3. Excellent storytelling

    Original narrative & well developed characters

  1. Eye opening

    Niche topic & fresh perspectives

  2. Heartfelt and relatable

    The story invoked strong personal emotions

  3. Masterful proofreading

    Zero grammar & spelling mistakes

  4. On-point and relevant

    Writing reflected the title & theme

Add your insights

Comments (9)

Sign in to comment
  • L.I.Eabout a year ago

    Wow, such a powerful realization. Your words express the strong emotions, which made it much more relatable. Excellent.

  • Testabout a year ago

    I like the way you go through painful events but try in every way to overcome them, I see a lot of acceptance and self-understanding in your verses, but never resignation

  • Michelle Liew Tsui-Linabout a year ago

    I feel the brokenness here, and the imagery is powerful. Those shards do come together though, and make a whole.

  • Caitlin Charltonabout a year ago

    My goodness, I am nothing short of speechless. I might be nearly insane or I’m right there with you… which shows the power of your words and your talent in transferring exactly how you feel through words. I could imagine myself with a stuffy nose crying, giving up surrendering — becoming unforgiving, the audacity to feel this way without a way out of it… Then the imagery of a spirit within, needing a new body somewhere else to call home is just beautiful. Especially when you said ‘in others’ it left me speechless the way the pain kept developing into deeper meanings. ‘The easy way out is the only way in’ gosh!! Okay I’m going to stop typing now 🙈 ♥️👌🏽👏🏽

  • Alyssa Mussoabout a year ago

    This is such an emotional and relatable stream of consciousness, Angela. Wonderful poem!

  • This was so intense and poignant. I especially loved these lines: my delusion cutting into my fingers my past slicing into my skin

  • BrettNotGregabout a year ago

    Love this! The inspiration comes through strongly at the finish. Great work! 💚

  • Jeremy Whiteabout a year ago

    I loved this.. Great inspiration for not giving up.

  • Marie381Uk about a year ago

    I loved reading this poem well done

Find us on social media

Miscellaneous links

  • Explore
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Support

© 2026 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.