2.22.2011

This Average Heart.



A Poem For Saint Valentine (Belated).






This average heart
Both belongs
And does not belong
To me.

Scarcely do I give it thought
As it beats out my life
In its cage of bone.

Prisoner of mine
Yet ruled not by me.

It leads and I follow
Because I cannot do otherwise.

I cannot guess
The expanse of self
Contained within
This modest heart.

This sacred captive

That delights
And surprises
And tortures

As it stoutly pounds down
Thrum upon thrum
The measure of my life.




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5 comments:

  1. Annie JeffriesFebruary 22, 2011 at 11:48 PM

    This is a beautiful poem, Jen. It truly captures the heart of a heart.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousFebruary 23, 2011 at 1:00 AM

    A very cleverly worded conceit! Very nice.

    ReplyDelete
  3. ImBlogCrazyFebruary 23, 2011 at 9:54 AM

    I love cleverly written poems - this is a Five Star submission!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Laura Paine CarrFebruary 23, 2011 at 10:08 AM

    Interesting to consider one's heart a prisoner. Yes, this will stay with me today.

    ReplyDelete
  5. JendocinoFebruary 27, 2011 at 9:13 PM

    Thanks, all! We may be prisoners of our hearts, but they are prisoners of ours, too.

    ReplyDelete

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