Notes About The Poem

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Disintegration

dust drifts  
from the book’s brittle spine,  
a slow surrender  
of stitched-in stories.  

pages pull apart~  
soft seams splitting,  
sentences slipping  
into silence.  
 
a faint fragment  
clings to the corner,  
holding the trace  
of what once held you.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2026

Poem

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Smith  Avatar
August 23, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Sara, this is another exquisite piece of imagism that feels beautifully connected to your previous work. The structure of three delicate, brief stanzas mirrors the physical disintegration of the book you are describing. Your masterful use of alliteration throughout the poem—"stitched-in stories," "soft seams splitting," and "sentences slipping / into silence"—creates a hushed, whispering rhythm that brings the quiet decay to life. The final, poignant turn revealing that the book was a trace of "what once held you" gives the piece a profound emotional gravity. A stunning and quiet masterpiece!
Etgen-Baker Avatar
August 23, 2026 at 5:29 PM
Alison, your comments and insights are such a joy to read. You made my day. ❤️
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