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Constance's J Option Contest ~ July 30, 2025

The Jagged Edges

"Life levels off in importance. Days are no longer 
jagged peaks to climb; time is a meadow, 
and we move over it with level steps." 
                                                ~ Gladys Taber


Her life is a page torn from a spiral notebook 
      whose jagged edges are tattered
She's bone weary and wears the haggard scowl
          of a woman whose heart has been badly broken

There are jagged lines, wrinkles and creases
      the kind that ages a beautiful face
where once his fingertips had left a gentle touch
          her skin seems ravaged by sorrow

No longer can she peer into a mirror
      none have been left hanging in her home
Into pointed shards they'd been shattered
          in a moment of hysteria

There are no straight-edged lines in lost love
      for the toll is measured in flesh
and the only traces of it left to recall
           are memories that tussle her mind

There's an emotional mountain she must climb
      jagged edged rocks will impede her way
but when she succeeds in reaching the crest
          from grief she will have been freed

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Terry Miller Date: 8/21/2025 2:32:00 AM Absolutely love this, congratulations Login to Reply Lin Lane Date: 8/21/2025 3:00:00 AM Thank you so very much for liking it, Terry.

Constance La France Date: 8/19/2025 9:14:00 PM Lin, congratulations on your win in my J With Four Options contest. Your poem is beautiful and so well penned and I love the quote and image, Constance Login to Reply Lin Lane Date: 8/21/2025 2:59:00 AM Thanks so very much for awarding this one a place on your winning list, Constance.

Paula Goldsmith Date: 8/19/2025 11:42:00 AM Congratulations on your win. I enjoyed reading your powerful "The Jagged Edges" write/story. Life does come with many jagged edges. Love your line, "There's an emotional mountain she must climb." So very true. Mt after Mt to climb. Also Great Picture. A wonderful ending... Have a blessed day with your win....... Login to Reply Lin Lane Date: 8/21/2025 2:59:00 AM Thanks ever so much for the many thoughts you leave me, Paula.

Duke Beaufort Date: 8/3/2025 6:18:00 PM Lin, sadness, hurt, and grief are very difficult to overcome. The idea of all the mirrors being removed strikes me as difficult to bear. She has to look at all of this in order to get past the jags. It's probably life's most difficult journey. Hard to imagine just how difficult it can be, but you do let us know. Smiles!! Login to Reply Lin Lane Date: 8/21/2025 2:58:00 AM Apologies for not responding sooner, Duke. Recovering from such a heartache is not an easy task, but when the crest of that mountain is reached, there's usually a new horizon to be appreciated as I do your comments.

Sam Kauffman Date: 7/31/2025 9:47:00 PM Lin, you have such an amazing gift for weaving poignancy into visual pictures with beautifully crafted metaphors in your eloquent storytelling. Best wishes for the contest. Sending you blessings of joy! Login to Reply Lin Lane Date: 8/2/2025 11:17:00 AM How gracious are your comments, Sam. I am truly grateful for your friendship and thoughtfulness. Thank you very much.

John Hamilton Date: 7/31/2025 5:48:00 AM The toll is measured in flesh...that's a great line, so many more in this sad write. Too many people go through heartbreak, only to find themselves in this situation. Login to Reply Lin Lane Date: 8/2/2025 11:17:00 AM Thanks for the read and comments, JD.

Jan Allison Date: 7/30/2025 4:33:00 PM excellent quote to go with your poem which sadly many can relate to at some stage of their lives. hugs Jan xx Login to Reply Lin Lane Date: 7/30/2025 5:43:00 PM Sad but indeed true. Thanks a lot, chick.

Connie Pachecho Date: 7/30/2025 2:03:00 PM Lin, nice poem. It has me thinking. I can see the woman's caterpillar struggles as she crawls through the jagged edges of life and fate, dodging her predators, where this reflection of nature is harsh, where transformations are not a given. Yet succeeding. And taking wings to her life. Login to Reply Lin Lane Date: 7/30/2025 5:42:00 PM Life can be harsh sometimes. Thanks for your review of my lines, Connie.

Jay Narain Date: 7/30/2025 11:21:00 AM The poem balances visual metaphors and emotional depth, capturing the toll of heartbreak and the promise of healing through endurance. Good poem. Login to Reply Lin Lane Date: 7/30/2025 5:42:00 PM at least the 'good poem' is your comment.

John Fleming Date: 7/30/2025 8:18:00 AM I like the way you have brought the poem to its conclusion: final victory over great adversity and heartache. Beautifully espoused. :) john Login to Reply Lin Lane Date: 7/30/2025 8:33:00 AM Thank you very much for your thoughts, John. It's a better ending to claim victory over adversity and heartache, but not always possible.