spare parts
broken pieces
soldered together
in the back of the shed.
left in the corner,
I may look interesting
but put me to task
and I'm liable to break.

extras left over from past assemblies;
screwed over as I was screwed together.
I'm completely nuts and I tend to bolt
but don't let that bother you:
think of me as a shop class project
that your mom might find quaint someday
in all its amateurish construction.

spare parts
torn to pieces
shattered forever
in the back of my head.
left at the corner,
I thought it looked interesting;
don't make me come back -
I'll be better off dead.

here lay I, in shards
of bone and happiness,
twisted together
under extreme duress.
but at least
I'm in silence -
all motion gone soft;
I crashed from the shelf
that once held me aloft.
here I die, in tiny bits:
shiny alloys mixed with grit.
made at the grave of other machines,
I am junk at the core.

spare parts
rest in pieces
throttled and severed
in the back of your shed.
left me alone here -
you thought I'd be worth something.
turned out you were wrong;
I was worthless all along.

© Jess Zelhart, 2004. Thou shalt not steal.