I am not broken.
For so long I thought I was,
thought that all the things that separated
Me from my peers
were cause to slice along my seams
Just a little more.
Until I was a marionette with no strings,
a discarded toy,
a vase broken into a thousand pieces.
I stopped believing then,
Believing in all the good that
has kept me alive.
And I fell—man did I fall.
But I’m back.
In my time in the pit
I found all the pieces
that had been cut away.
All those flaws and insecurities,
I picked them up
held each to the distant sun.
glued them back in place.
Until I was whole.
I began to climb.
Painfully clawing up the dark
walls of the pit I’d been born in,
I slipped and fell, scraped my knees,
and begged for mercy.
Still I climbed.
and now I am in the light,
Standing on fragrant grass and
Breathing air that smells of life.
I’m chipped and scarred
There are things I’ll never be able to shake.
But I’m standing tall
and though it may not look it
I assure you of this one thing:
I am not broken.
Zev Anbar is a sophomore at California State University San Marcos, where he is majoring in Creative Writing. In his spare time, he works at the local movie theatre and enjoys smiling at children who are excited about their movies. His ambition in life is to become a best-selling writer and a teacher comparable to Mr. Feeny.