The Good, The Bad, and The Broken

My name is Christopher Marshman, and no one knows me. Technically, I'm the only person who knows the truth-at least about myself. I've always considered myself a writer, but have only kept my "works" to myself, and a fairly select few-until now. This compilation of poems is the foundation of my writing. It is what poetry is meant to be: intimate, personal, and much more than the surface. There are stories beyond just the words. Some of them are true and some of them are based on truth, but all are honest. That is actually why this is the hardest thing I have ever done: exploit myself. When I said that this is the foundation of my writing, it's because it is. Poetry has always been my "go-to" because of how personal it is, but how masked it can be at the same time. So consider this: for the first time, this is my way of beginning to let people into my life in a way I never have before, and in the most personal way I can think of. This will be my gateway into who I am, and what my writing entails. In "The Good, The Bad, and The Broken: Bottomless Heart (Empty Bottles)," you will be let in to who I was-and that's just the beginning. I say this for two reasons; it's the first compilation of poems that I am putting out, but is also a part of my life that's made me who I am, and I have also laid to rest. Some people may wonder what it means to put a part of yourself to rest, so I'll divulge. It's what you do as part of growing up. It's coming to terms with who you were, where you were at, what affected you, and walking away with what you need in order to progress. That's why this is only the beginning, because it involved my early twenties, and parts of who I was, I've since put to rest. These are relatively face value poems. As I've grown, so has my writing, but I find it important to show who we were, in order for who we are to be understood. A transformation doesn't occur overnight, but through hardships, and work. So here it is: my early twenties, my heart, and my mind.