60 Seconds Poem by Lauren C

I gave myself 60 seconds to break
Legs shaking, barely standing
Hands pressed to the tile
Doubled in half, trying to hold up
against the weight of the grief in my gut
But it's a fruitless effort and I'm falling
Shattered completely
My pieces, scattered at the bottom of the tub
I watched as they swirled down the drain
Trying to catch them with hands that no longer answer to me
lm too broken

Staring into the water, letting it blind me
I wrap my arms around my naked trembling body
Trying to keep ahold of you, of me, of us
How can you grieve in 60 seconds?
How can I be angry, sad, resentful, forgiving, and okay
all within the blink of an eye?


Trying to process as I towel off
The last of you, my tears and shame,
stain the cotton
I'll have to throw you away
The lack of a mark won't be enough to wipe me clean
Staring into the mirror
My eyes broken and beautiful stained glass windows
I wait for the telltale sounds of the drain clearing
To let me know that you're gone

I allowed myself one minute

A minute of falling apart

Before pulling myself together

And moving on