PICKING UP THE PIECES

	By Meredith Z. Avakian

   
	  Some call it a vase & some call it a vase
	I alternate depending on what mood I'm in
	I'll choose to say vase today
	But regardless, it's symbolic of a people
	A great people that were displaced
	Like the pieces of this broken vase

	  Scattered & distorted
	Picked up & aborted
	Moved & confused
	But they remain the same
	Different pieces of the same vase
	Many linking to one
	One land. One nation. One people.
	One greater whole.
	That we'll never know
	But understand that it once was
	It once was
	It once was
	And always will be
	One beautiful vase

	  I am a piece of this broken vase
	I may not look the same as the others
	But the whole is incomplete without me
	My matter is tattered
	But that doesn't matter
	Because I am no less than the bigger pieces
	Nor larger than those
	Whole colors are exposed
	And fit the unity of the once believed identity
	From which eternity birthed infinity
	Which calculates as the sum I'll never know

	  Pick up the pieces
	I challenge you to find one
	From the same mold - young or old 
	That you'll recognize as an equal...
	Contribution without exclusion
	Considered a mere sequal
	Embrace the difference 
	And recognize the similarities
	You're part of the same vase

	  Yes, it may've been broken
	Beaten, hidden & damaged
	Some were lost along the way
	And others seemed to manage
	It's not complete
	Without unity
	How can we recreate?
	But if you constantly search
	And pick up the pieces
	One at a time
	And keep them together
	Bound by need
	You'll gather the remains and be amazed
	When you start to see
	What is still the makings of
	One beautiful vase.
   

--
Meredith `MZA' Avakian is a spoken word performance poet who has been
writing poetry for nearly a decade.  During the last several years,
she has been performing at open mics, poetry slams, talent shows and
art showcases and Armenian churches throughout the East Coast.  Her
work focuses on life in its rawest essence - love, hate, politics,
ethnicity and sex.  MZA is a native of New Jersey, but currently
resides in Philly, where she graduated from Temple University with a
degree in public relations.  She currently serves as the editor of
DuPont Network News, the DuPont Co.'s daily, global, electronic
newsletter.