I finally embrace my rough edges. After all, we’re all broken.

The challenge lies in interactions—use care, grace. Some broken pieces are sharp. Their cuts can run deep…Still, we need each other.

Only when broken pieces work together in unity does the mosaic present itself in perfect, beautiful glory.

Christa Planko, MA, is a professional writer with a passion for creative expression. She has had her poetry and short stories featured in several publications, including River Poets Journal, Tanka and Haiku Journal, Poetry Quarterly, and Every Day Fiction. Her story, “The Olde-Tyme Village,” won the 2021 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest. Christa resides in South Jersey with her feline muses.