HEARTLAND

I sat next to a man with a broken heart on the bus.

I heard the ventricle doors

Being slammed

Off their hinges

Strong valves rendered helpless

As he held the photo of

A smiling beauty in his hands

I heard the cracking sound of the aorta

Protesting under the weight of so much pain

Heard the sound of splinters falling

                     h

                      a

as the   heart became shards

                     d

                      s

as fragile and as sharp as glass

piercing even as they fell apart

heard him gulping as

the broken pieces blocked his throat

saw his hands trembling as he tore the photo into pieces

a piece for every splinter

a piece for every shard….

I sat next to a man with a broken heart on the bus.