#fracturedpoets

[fracturedpoets]

You have no idea

what I had to go through

to stand where I am today.

There are versions of me

that had to be crushed,

that had to die.

I dragged myself out of places

I swore would keep me forever.

All of it—

just so I could look at you

without flinching.

With clear eyes.

With hope still intact.

And love you with a tenderness

that feels reckless,

as if my heart has never learned fear,

as if my heart had never been broken before

as if I have never loved anyone

before you.

[fracturedpoets]

I am barricaded inside Stop watching In not coming to the door Stop knocking Stop knocking I'm trapped here God keeps saying I'm not unlocking I chose this I am lost in Gods own conscience

Dave C. (NF adaptation)

[fracturedpoets]

In strength I found gentleness In education I found humility In ferocity I found compassion In passion I found rationality In discipline I found freedom

Dave C. (Adapted from Kavita Ramdas)

[fracturedpoets]

You lied through every single word you said Imagine that You speak again I prepare myself For your staged Performance

Dave C.

[fracturedpoets]

Beautiful Exception My heart was simple My love was kind My heart was gentle True love was mine I went through heartaches Straight through corruption Through burning fire Large scale destruction Crawling on earth I fell to hell I'm sinking deep There's is no help I touched the bedrock And realized I've hit rock bottom No hope in sight Tried to escape for months. Years. My heart tremors. Feet subside There was no way. I'm filled with fear Eyes are fading. I just might die... A voice calls me, I see a hand Could barely move, just barely stand He holds me tight and says, let's go I never thought this day would show We arrive to a different place He stands me up, I see his face My eyes light up, my fears all fade I'm finally home, I'm finally safe I stand up, I look around I hear a thunderous voice declare: "What once was lost Is finally found".

Dave C.

[fracturedpoets]

You never touched my darkness.

You loved the light—

the crown prince,

the great king.

But suns set.

Princes fall.

Kings die.

And now you sit

where I was born.

[fracturedpoets]

Monster, Willingly

I don’t want your apology.

I want you to feel it.

I want you to drown in the guilt

you dodged so easily.

I want to be the one holding your hand under,

the way you held me…

without mercy,

without hesitation.

I am tired of being gentle.

Tired of tenderness, of soft words.

Tired of swallowing anger like poison

and calling it patience.

I’m done being silent.

I want to scream.

I want the world to hear me

and I want you to hear me

through the weight of your own shame.

I want that guilt to suffocate you,

to choke you awake

to everything you refused to carry.

You don’t get to apologize

for things you should have never done.

Is there still forgiveness?

Some scars go too deep.

Some damage does not undo itself.

And if this makes me a monster,

I’ll wear the fangs.

I’ll let the blood drip from my hands

If turning ugly makes me seen

What a great monster I will be

My tenderness will not be the weapon

used against my throat.

I choose cold over kindness

if kindness keeps me breakable.

I would rather be a monster

in a world full of beasts

than stay soft

in a world that devours me

whole.

[fracturedpoets]

How could he love me so gently?

A man built of fire and tension,

all coiled strength and unspoken hunger—

yet the moment his hands find me,

everything changes.

His touch is slow, deliberate,

the kind that makes my breath catch

before he’s even pulled me close.

Fingers rough from life,

but tracing me with a care

that feels dangerously tender.

He leans in, and the air tightens—

his warmth sliding against mine,

his breath brushing my neck

like a promise he’s trying

and failing

to hold back.

With everyone else he’s solid stone,

but with me he softens,

breaks open,

lets the heat he hides spill through

in the way he presses closer,

the way he holds my waist,

the way he murmurs my name

like he’s losing his composure

one heartbeat at a time.

And when he looks at me—

that raw, unfiltered wanting

burns through every inch of him—

intense enough to pull me in,

gentle enough to make me stay,

and deep enough

to leave me trembling

for more.