Tales from a Broken Girl

By Chris Dean

You hear it all the time . . . "I'm fine!" "We're doing great!" Sometimes, it's true. A lot of times, it's BS. Because no one likes to admit their lives are a mess.

Tales From a Broken Girl

• Language: English
• Publisher: Storeylines Press
• Release date: Sep 16, 2023
• ISBN: 9781738274758

Book preview

TALES FROM A BROKEN GIRL

CHRIS DEAN

Storeylines Press Storeylines Press

Copyright © 2023 by Chris Dean

Cover Photo and Author Photo by Chris Dean

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Storeylines Press is the publisher of this work. It holds the sole, perpetual, and exclusive license with respect to this work and any derivatives thereof on a worldwide basis. Therefore, any interest in this work should be directed to the author/publisher at [e-mail]

Land Acknowledgment

Storeylines Press enjoys the benefits and blessings of existing on the lands of the Anishinabek, Haudenosauneega Confederacy, and Anishinaabe, Treaty 29, 1827. As settlers to this area, we acknowledge the rights and importance of the Indigenous people and their importance to this region, nation, and its culture, as well as their unjust treatment by the Canadian government and settlers past and present.

For my husband, Nick. You’re my Muse,

my best friend, and everything in between!

Thank you for putting up with

the craziness and always believing in me.

Until eternity shall end, baby!

by definition

Angry, brash,

Aggressive, loud,

Tuneful. Or not.

Everything

In between,

All rolled into

A thought.

Beggar, collector,

Sneaky little thief.

Bit from here,

Piece from there.

Always collecting,

Always something

Useful to build a nest.

Surface plain,

Black and white

Divides.

Different angled view

Brings blues, greens.

Dazzle or disgust,

You'll find what

You choose.

Beat, spoken,

Lyrical prose.

Jack of all trades

Because Master

Of None.

Label what you will,

Voice is still voice

Defying definition.

Just a fucking Magpie.

contents

foreword

LOVE & LOSS

Untitled

the apple

fox hunt

42

yesterday’s shirt

druids

haircut

when

word stew

habits

listen

comfort suite

lost in the woods

because

sleepwalking

rain dance

firepit

love letter

Untitled

Untitled

PISS & VINEGAR

Untitled

drug of choice

someday

once

forgotten dolls

a friendly drink

menopause

mantle

unauthorized biography

makeup

knees

I was reading Bukowski

scene of the crime

eggshells

dear lightworkers

quicksand

december’s inventory

pain

Untitled

Untitled

ACCEPTANCE

Untitled

midlife moon

storm song

the longing song

3-25-23

bedtime story

witches

mornings

left

chasing trains

mortality

3 am

nina negra

this year

welcome to the borderland

surfacing

a walk among the stones

air B&B

Untitled

Untitled

About the Author

foreword

Hello and welcome to The Crazy!

My name is Chris. As of this writing, I'm a 52-year-old female-presenting nonbinary human being from Indiana, and what you're currently holding is the last eight years of my life. 

When I started writing, I referred to myself as Broken Girl. Because, at the time, I was. During this journey, my marriage fell apart, we built it back stronger, my crazy (Bipolar 2 and Borderline) and autoimmune (Scleroderma) had a clash of wills, menopause arrived, and I came out as nonbinary. HELLUVA EIGHT YEARS!

I no longer feel broken (or girl). But the Instagram account was there and it documented the journey, so I kept it.

I considered rewriting for gender references, but where I was when I wrote most of