Your Failed Masterpiece
Why don't you look at me?
Why did you chisel me down like a daydream mattered
more than me, words leisurely sharpened on the whetstone
of your tongue to shave away my Aphrodite stomach rolls,
pour rock, molten with your anger, down my throat to quiet me,
collapse my imperfections, all in search of making stoneflesh
divinity without the fundamental understanding that all flesh
is inherently divine ? The hunt for perfection consumed you
and the cost was parts of me crumbling into nothing, and now,
I'm left in the backroom of your memories, with all the other
things you played with too hard until they broke and haunted
you. I'm too big to fit in a box so you covered me up because
you're too scared to face me. You pretend I don't exist anymore.
But, tell me, when will you lift up the sheet and finally acknowledge
what you did to me?
...and why do I still want to look at you?
About the Creator
R.C. Taylor
I write to invoke, to process, to honor, to resurrect, and—sometimes—to grieve but, above all, I write to be free.
Follow along for stories about a little bit of everything (i.e. nostalgia and other affairs of the heart).
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
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Where's the Glory?
In breaking news, rehabilitated Republican Senator Johnnie Johnson (Pronouns: HE, HIM, HIS) called a press conference from the Men’s room of the New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport, Concourse B, across from the Ignatius Reilly’s Lucky Dog stand. The Senator had just returned from a sexual reorientation rehabilitation program in Memphis, TN after being publically disgraced at a Buckee’s Truckstop restroom soliciting sex from an undercover cop three months ago. He is a founding member of the Reformed Christians for Christ, a conservative, pro-family and ex-gay advocacy group. In the spirit of being reborn, Senator Johnson invited reporters to marvel at his plans for a major remodeling of airport bathrooms.
By Cathy Schieffelin5 days ago in Humor
Comments (30)
Incredible work!
Stockholm syndrome plays with all our emotions and senses. The human part that wants what we no longer have. How many can say been there done that. Lovely.
I could easily copy and past your whole poem and say, "This part right here!" Super heartfelt and relateable. One of the most striking lines for me is, "I'm left in the backroom of your memories, with all the other things you played with too hard until they broke and haunted you." Congratulations on Top Story!
Damn, Lamar, you went in. This is real powerful and so beautifully expressed. Wow. Ans congratulations on be awarded too story 🤍
Masterful and supremely relevant. You had something to say, and a dazzling style to render it in. Congrats on top story!
Blimey. I loved the metaphor of the statue, but the personal grief was very much coming through. Excellent writing
I feel like this was inspired by Pygmalion, is that correct? Brilliantly done and haunting!
“…all in search of making stoneflesh / divinity without the fundamental understanding that all flesh / is inherently divine?” The paradox of looking for perfection is that we miss it when it’s right in front of us. The subject’s search for perfection ruins their relationship with the speaker. But the speaker is here, the speaker is waiting under the sheets, waiting to confront the subject. Brilliant.
I loved this when I commented the other day! I’m so glad you got top story for it! Congratulations 🎊 this is such a brave and raw energy you bring here. 💓💓💓💓
Very relatable! Very cool!
nice one there
We are contrary creatures, we humans. This is a great piece, I enjoyed it so much! It got Top Story, which is very well deserved.
So much power and emotion. This was heartbreaking. Sublime writing, though. Congrats on the much-deserved Top Story!
Like your thought
Every creator can be a destroyer... I really like this one, and congrats on the TS!
I loved the line, "I'm left in the backroom of your memories, with all the other things you played with too hard until they broke and haunted you." Excellent poetry! And Congrats!
Melancholy!!! 😪 Hearted ❤️
Powerfully tragic. A great poem, well worthy of Top Story! Congratulations!
Oh, beautiful, gorgeous lines. I love the extended metaphor of the "you" being like stone throughout. "Chisel," "whetstone," "pour rock, molten," "stoneflesh," "crumbling," "hard/broke." The imagery is fantastic. And my heart is breaking at the same time. Well done, well deserved TS!
I'm so glad this was a top story or I might have missed it. Every stanza of this poem, like all flesh, is divine. The layers of metaphor and meaning go deep. And that last line.. no silky bow to wrap up a simple ending here. So, so good!
powerful words!
Wow.
powerful
Powerful!
This is unbelievable