I don't throw away
broken things
I prefer to give them sympathy
the same kind
that's given to me
from the lady
at the front desk
who knows not
why I'm here
nor the number of tissues
I go through in a year
yet through untested eyes
happy to see me
she always appears

yes, I'd rather find a place
for the ornament
too fractured
to prove it deserves
to stay
too busy
trying to feel good enough
to take up its own space

for to toss them aside
would be ever so hypocritical
'cause when...