Andrea,
So much vivid emotions, can feel your piece running through me. Years of sadness, but then your strength, which was shattered, as you write 'glued yourself back together'
This is a very open and raw piece lady, certainly a favourite from you.

Much warmth and love
Michael :)x

Andrea,
You seem to be a little quieter round these parts recently, but that's okay as long as you keep posting poetry like this. Honest, brutal and challenging in every way, but I have come to expect that from you as well as poetry which - just as frequently - is dripping in beauty.

I hope you are well,

Ben

This is so very powerful and as you know from us being in sync resonates badly!!

Nominated and much love and many hugs!!

The most powerful pieces come through situations indeed! I can feel the depth of anger or resentment in this one. So heavy, Ms. Andi! So very heavy for the heart to handle. Just much love to you!

I am in tears. And absolutely trembling in chills. Just...wow, Andrea. Raw. Honest. Beautiful. And so so much truth and strength in your words!! Inspiring! Much love to you!

"This poem is a raw,
public, display of my
feelings on how damaging
emotional abuse can hurt
a child."
^^
<3

Raw, emotional and exceptional!

The painful truth is that most people are broken in some way, Andrea. The challenge is to heal yourself and become who you are meant to be. Maybe your parents were not the kind you hoped for, but if anything your are a child of this universe, and as such you are loved deeply and unconditionally.
My tip for you is to read the book by Louise Hay called " you can heal your life".

All the best,

Ingrid

Oh Andrea, this write just killed me. I'm sorry you have had to deal with this all your life. This speaks volume of how strong a person's spirit can be. You are such a giving warm person, I could never imagined this. Thank you for sharing this-hugs

Shivers all over. Andrea, the healing I felt reading this and I hope others feel. I am proud of you and the woman (and mother) you have become. You inspire me and so many others with the example of your love. I still have some bitterness in my heart from the past, because emotional abuse leaves those imprints on your heart that others may never know are there. But you persevered and you persisted (this reminds me of the quote "nevertheless, she persisted". And I think that's so important. To find your own strength. To say, this is who I am, not who you made me to be.

Thank you for sharing this <3

Beautiful emotional piece that raises awareness of a subject often kept hidden. well done on a well deserved win x

I love it

Judges comments

Broken lines: 47 Years" By Maple Tree 10 points

Before I write my comments I need to say this.

As I come across a poem that has been nominated, I will write a personal note about it and give it a score of ten. When another one appears that also gets a personal note. I will score it above or bellow. As a result the ten point poem may not be there for long and can gradually be bumped down the list of contenders.

This is the first thing that I have read that has never slipped down the scale , not once, not one iota.

With regards to the poem itself, where does one begin? It is quite clearly from the heart and is obviously written from life experience. When I read it for the first time it felt like it was alive,

"I still feel the same reading now"

It is very passionate and I also feel that little aggression came across too (perhaps more than a little). Sometimes we need a little of that just to push through. Too vocalise this in such a way is a measure of strength.

(10) without hesitation or question.