My Heart

4 Comments

1. Sarah S on July 26, 2015 at 3:05 PM

   This is a really powerful poem, bursting at the seams with frustration, rage, and sorrow. I like it because it is so specific to your situation, but at the same time feels universal– lines like “My heart is caged/Sabotaged with rage” and ‘Like a hand me down/I feel worn.” As soon as I read this poem I was reminded of a song by Arcade Fire. I don’t know if you ever listened to them? The song is called My Body is a Cage. I’ve posted the lyrics below in the hope that you can relate and/or find some inspiration:

   My body is a cage that keeps me
   From dancing with the one I love
   But my mind holds the key

   I’m standing on a stage
   Of fear and self-doubt
   It’s a hollow play
   But they’ll clap anyway

   My body is a cage that keeps me
   From dancing with the one I love
   But my mind holds the key

   You’re standing next to me
   My mind holds the key

   I’m living in an age
   That calls darkness light
   Though my language is dead
   Still the shapes fill my head

   I’m living in an age
   Whose name I don’t know
   Though the fear keeps me moving
   Still my heart beats so slow

   My body is a cage that keeps me
   From dancing with the one I love
   But my mind holds the key

   You’re standing next to me
   My mind holds the key
   My body is a

   My body is a cage
   We take what we’re given
   Just because you’ve forgotten
   That don’t mean you’re forgiven

   I’m living in an age
   That screams my name at night
   But when I get to the doorway
   There’s no one in sight

   I’m living in an age
   That laughs
   When I’m dancing
   With the one I love
   But my mind holds the key

   You’re standing next to me
   My mind holds the key

   Set my spirit free
   Set my spirit free
   Set my body free
   Set my body free

   Set my spirit free
   Set my body free

   Reply
2. Brian Chappell on July 29, 2015 at 6:07 PM

   Dear DI,

   My name is Brian, and I am a high school English teacher living here in DC. Thank you for sharing your poem. I liked it so much because you capture the many ways that the heart can break. Not just in a romantic sense, but also in a spiritual sense, the breaking of the spirit, the sorrow that so many people feel. And so the “you” whom you see in your dreams could be a lover, a friend, a family member. But “you” could also be love in general. It’s the idea that when we dream, we dream of love, and love can take many forms. In your poem, the person you dream of says “I love you,” but that person is also a “presence,” someone who dwells with you, who makes you feel peace. I hope that you are able to find that peaceful presence of love, not only when you are asleep, but when you are awake as well. I hope you remember, always, that you are loved, and that someone wishes you peace. You say in your poem that when you are awake, it is hard to face “reality,” to face the “truth.” But perhaps love and peace are the real truth, and that the pain we feel is just a dream. That behind it all, perhaps, after it’s all over, there is only love.

   Reply
3. Reid on January 21, 2016 at 6:29 PM

   Great ending, and it all rings true.

   Reply
4. Rachael Sandri on February 23, 2016 at 1:07 PM

   Dear DI,

   Your poem was so powerful that the beginning made my muscles tense, and at the lines, “The only words for its freedom / Is hearing you say you love me”, I felt my body relax. I found your imagery very effective, particularly the puncturing thick vine of thorns.

   I can identify with the feeling of having a love far away and waking up reluctant to face the day after seeing them in dreams. I think you captured that feeling beautifully.

   Thank your for sharing your poem. Please keep writing. I would love to read more!

   Your fan,

   Rachael

   Reply