All Bent and Broken

November 25, 2020 at 11:59 pm (Life, Poetry) (poem)

When I was a kid in elementary school
My older sister was in High School
She talked about a student in her school
Who was a poet
I, at the time, was surprised.
I didn’t think there were any poets
left in the world
I thought they all died out at
the end of the 19th Century.

I don’t remember this poet’s first name
But his last name was Cardinal
And he apparently wrote poetry
Under the pen name
Charles Frederick

He self published his own poetry
In a book
They sold in the High School store
The book was called
Here Lies Charles Frederick
And the picture used to illustrate the cover
Was of a gravestone
That had the name
Charles Frederick on it

My sister bought it
I read the book
And I was impressed

But the only poem I remember this day from it
was about a little girl
Who showed her mother
Her teddy bear
After he had been damaged
And the only line I remember
from the poem
was the last line
The words the little girl
Spoke to her mother
“Mommy, he’s all bent and broken”

And that’s exactly the way I feel tonight
All bent and broken
Earlier today I received a huge punch in the gut
Metaphorical of course
But it’s probably going to send me
Into that deep spiralling well of depression
I thought I had finally escaped from

I’m like that little girl’s teddy bear
In the poem
In the book
Here Lies Charles Frederick-

I’m all bent and broken.

-A poem written by Christopher
Wednesday November 25th
2020.

Writer’s note: The above poem is NOT a work of fiction.