My Jagged Edges (A Poem)

A poem about one woman healing her body and confidence after breaking her foot in a car accident.

It wasn’t the Lisfranc
that threw me that day
like a rider
dashed across ledges

More than the break
was the stop to my life
where I was crushed
on my own jagged edges

The foot, it will heal
I will walk with a limp
Not the end of the world
so they said

But inside of my heart
an invisible break
and confinement
filled me with dread

My friends, my job
the bathroom, no less
all impossible feats
A world apart

More than my shoes
beautifully mocking me
Is the ugly scar
across my heart

Every car ride
every sudden move
my heart lurches that pain
is coming again

The attempts to stand
the agonizing slowness
chip away
at my smile…but then…

The only way to stop
this clinging dark fear
is to wipe at the scar
where it etches

And build up a callus
where my confidence broke
from the accident that
caused jagged edges

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Carrie Aulenbacher

Carrie Aulenbacher is an executive in the commercial real estate field and author of the novel, The Early Bird Café.  She lives near the shores of Lake Erie, in PA, with her family. Fifteen years after the car accident that shattered her right foot (which inspired this poem), she is an avid gardener, loves walking in her woods and along the lake and enjoys macrophotography when she is not writing.  Enjoy more about her work at www.carrieaulenbacher.com.

6 Responses

  1. Olga says:

    Beautiful choices of words and kaleidoscope of emotions on such heart breaking topic

  2. Devorah Fox says:

    I don’t read a lot of poetry but this one was quite accessible. I like the end rhymes.

  3. It’s beautiful that you were able to churn your accident into a creative flow, Carrie 🙂

    • Carrie says:

      It took a long time to reach that place in my mind. I hope others who are in the midst of a struggle can hang in there and be gentle with themselves.

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