Shards are the chipped-off pieces and eroded grains of myself that I collected from my mid-20s, when I was almost homeless again (yes, again), through my 30s, when I fought through that poverty, depression, and grief to find myself as a survivor. A poet doesn't just love you for a moment. She lets you puncture her skin with the way you feel, lets it heal, and then rubs it now and then to feel you again. This debut collection of poetry and hand-drawn artwork by a Cleveland, Ohio artist tells stories of traumas, breaking cycles, sexy romances, and the bond between the poet and reader.