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I heard this song a while back. A friend sent me a copy of Joss Stone’s latest CD (”Introducing Joss Stone”) right before it dropped. I love her voice. But then that’s just me. I was IMMEDIATELY drawn to “Bruised but not Broken”. Took me a minute but I realized it spoke to me because I was indeed BRUISED…had convinced myself that I was also BROKEN…but thankfully, that (being BROKEN) was a falsand thankfully NOT BROKEN. (Yes I did try to load a copy of it for you but it just didn’t want to cooperate. Sorry!)

I heard that song, listened to the lyrics and knew there was a poem…or two…or ten…waiting to be born. I was sitting here, turning the concept over in my mind, asking myself “what if XYZ”, “what if 123?”. Before I knew it, I was staring at the poem below. I’ll probably “voice” it at some point for one of my poetry groups. And so, here it is…Poem 1 - Bruised but not Broken. Enjoy…..

bruised but not broken

he is patient…even when it tests every fiber in his being
see, he is MOVEMENT, a force of nature,
pure, naked adrenaline
but in this space….he’s patient
he sees through my ploy to push him away
to sabotage this before it begins
and he rests himself in the knowledge that he knows
what must engrave itself in my spirit:
that I am worth the wait
i try to convince him that I am more than fragile…i…am…broken
he smiles, kissing warmth into the palm of my hand and says,
“babygirl…you may be bruised but you are not broken”
i marvel at how he knows tenderness is the greatest gift he can give to me
even when I’m determined to fuck this up
still he waits, seeing through me to that place that obviously bears his name
he says he understands that as a woman, i must protect my heart
and i find myself crying soft tears because i can’t find the words to tell him…
it’s too late…
he’s already taken up residence
i listen to his thoughts, wrap myself in his laughter, and dine on his energy
as this beautiful black man deconstructs himself before me
so that i can see for myself what he’s made of
he stands before me naked and unashamed
and i know beyond a shadow of a doubt that i…am…safe…here…with him…
his strong arms reach for me,
he extends his hand
pulling me deeper into who I’m meant to be,
into the best parts of me
the “me” who fits neatly at his side in every sense of the word
i give myself over to the sheer comfort of him
breathe in the realness of him
reach out and touch the nearness of him
and I offer up prayers of thanksgiving for
each
and
every
heartache
i’ve ever experienced in this lifetime
for they represent my learning curve
and he,
he is my reparations
God anoints my spirit with deeper healing and clarity:
you see, my heart wasn’t broken…
it simply needed to be opened
wide enough

to hold

a love

this

big

© Jackie Young ~ 2007