written 2021, last edit 2023 Prompt: When someone’s heart is shattered, a part of the world is destroyed. The damage is usually a crack in the pavement, what's the story behind the grand canyon?
She was broken. Completely. There was nothing left, he had taken the rest with him when he left. She stood at the very edge, her mistakes had caused so much pain to the earth. She should have listened more carefully, should have paid more attention, should have done more. The wind sighed around her, whispering words of the devil. The crack howled, yelling at her with the echo of his voice. Here, alone, she didn’t have to pull at her lips. Her perfected laugh was useless. Her arms hugged her body, like she wished he had. The air stung her bare arms, not needles, but a second pair of arms around her, tightening around her lungs, suffocating her. She sank into them, they were right, they were always right. It started to snow as her lungs began to burn, and she gasped, inhaling her own tears. They were the only thing about her he seemed to like. A bittersweet smile crept to her face, at least it was something real. Her arms flung open, reaching away from her body. She shifted her weight to the tips of her toes, back to her heel, back to her toes. She looked to the sky, to the clouds. The smile became pure, and she let herself go, and the ground opened around her. She fell into her own pain, her dress swirling around her, as if she were dancing. Perhaps she was, dancing to her death. In her last moment, as the tears couldn’t slide down, she let the ocean out from her heart. She had already drowned. The storm evaporated from her skin, and followed the grieving sound leaving her tongue. They floated up to the peace above her, furthering themselves from her with each passing second. And then she forgave herself. Her crack continued to grow after her ill-fated soul left her body, and her tears began to fall again. The last traces of her smile remained painted on her face. The watery drops hit the ground, fueling the birth of a puddle. The puddle grew into a pond, a stream, a river. It held all the strength she hadn't been able to summon through her life, and carried her body to the meeting place of chaos and peace. She was finally resting with the stars, and they thoughtlessly welcomed her. It was everything she wanted.
Today, we visit what is left of her. We smile and stand in her very place. We have the peace within ourselves contained in the sky and have the sparkle in our eyes that reflect her final content. We take pictures, and laugh, sincerely, and love. And each time this grand love extends to her, brushes her hand, and pulls her in. Remember her when you go, if you go, and visit the grand canyon.