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Elegy for a Former Self
POEM BY MANDY TROTTI
Curses scrubbed clean from the bones
Nightmare-soaked skin now dry
A new body has taken shape
In the form of an evicted tenant
An abandoned house left standing
Alone in the night as they transpired
Illuminate the dark to see
The scars that mark the walls
Reminders of the dissonance
Like roadmaps to recovery
Open windows for fresh air
Exercise the solace in grief
Even the outside holds stories
That the tenant tries to hide
Excavate the barren garden
Plant flowers to paint the ground
Their stain masks this side of grief
Black is not the only color for mourning
The past cannot be restored
Rebuild until that house is finished
Do not stop until that body is home
Mandy Trotti is a senior majoring in English with a concentration in Literary Studies. When she is not studying or writing poetry, she can be found adding more books to her endless to-be-read list or re-watching her favorite sitcoms. After graduation she plans to become a high school teacher in Florida.
Header Image by Stone Hood (Unsplash)