There is a porcelain doll beside my bed

                that was built to be broken

Hard yellow beads adorn her finely woven jewelry

Crisscrossing her pale china body

As though caught in a net of lace

She stands there, frozen in place

As she watches the world go by.

When I was young, I played with her

We'd dance together to some secret melody

Audible only to us, our special song

But now she stays still, gathering memories

Instead of dust

Her stand is worn by time, uneven and unsteady

Unbalanced, she trembles with every footstep

Anything more knocks her from her place

Adds to her spider-webbed tattoos.

I built a cage for her

A sturdy thing

Of hardened steel

Meant to protect

To shield, defend

And yet,

And yet when the cage is jostled

She tips and breaks against it

And all that's left to do

Is pick up the pieces

And start anew.

I was built to be broken

But I've taught myself

How to mend the cracks

How to patch the holes

How to paint the smile

When it's worn away

And every time I break, I find

That gluing the pieces together again

Is easier

And the end result

Is more beautiful

And the smile

Comes naturally.

I was built to be broken—

But I was made to be fixed.