In this unapologetically raw and redemptive collection, Beautifully Broken traces the quiet ache of childhood wounds, the fury of unspoken truths, and the slow, defiant art of healing. Through poems that whisper, rage, and rise, Michelle gives voice to the silenced child, the surviving woman, and the fire-lit soul who refuses to disappear.
Divided into three parts—The Breaking, The Reckoning, and The Rise—these verses don’t flinch. They remember the girl who was told to be small, the woman who was expected to be sweet, and the truth that shattered both narratives. From generational scars to the quiet triumph of reclamation, this collection is a hymn for those who carry invisible bruises and build beauty from what’s been broken.
For anyone who has ever been told to stay silent, Beautifully Broken is a torch in the dark—proof that surviving is sacred and speaking is survival.
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Michelle Shirley Joined: Jul-03-2025 |
Michelle is a Pennsylvania-based poet and storyteller whose words rise from the intersections of silence, survival, and self-reclamation. Her work is rooted in deep emotional truth, exploring themes of maternal legacy, childhood wounds, chosen family, and the quiet triumph of healing aloud.
She shares a matching wrist tattoo—Beautifully Broken—with her daughter, the spiritual heartbeat of this collection. It is both a bond and a banner: a reminder that even through fracture, love endures, and even in pain, beauty blooms.
Michelle writes to give language to the ache and light to the shadow. Beautifully Broken is her offering to anyone who’s ever carried invisible scars and dared to call them art
