Heart

Not sure where this came from or why,
but I'm learning to listen ...

Heart
by Lyn Marinello – 9/11/25

The heart is quite extraordinary
Performing its many tasks
Pumping our body’s core fuel
To do all of which we ask
It races at certain firsts
Dates and jobs and kissing
It feels as if its breaking
When denied what it is missing
It is crushed in defining moments
When pain seems paralyzing
It skips a beat and stutters
When things emerge surprising
After lies and misconceptions
Betrayal makes it shatter
And it may seem unimportant
When things don’t really matter
It shrinks when it’s been beaten
Swells with strength and pride
Splinters with confusion
Crumbles when we’ve cried
It hides when it’s been hurt
It is bared when speaking truth
It thuds with trepidation
When your actions are uncouth
It seems about to burst
When we learn we will conceive
And it’s near to ragged rubble
When worn upon our sleeve
It is salvaged with your faith
As you overcome your grief
Puttied and patched with prayers
And bandaged by your belief
It fights to continue to beat
Through all this it will persist
This magnificent creation
The size of just your fist.