My Heart
By DI
My heart is so torn
Like a hand me down
I feel worn
My heart feels punctured
From a thick vine of thorns
My heart is caged
Sabotaged with rage
But can’t break free
The only words for its freedom
Is hearing you say you love me
In my dreams you are all I see
So for that moment
Your presence brings peace to me
But when I wake
It’s hard to face reality
It’s hard to face the truth
My blood pressure is higher
Than a sky scraper roof
Stress having me feel like
Not knowing what to do
So I stress myself to sleep
To be with you
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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
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.
Great ending, and it all rings true.
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
DI,
I have come across this poem as part of a college course aimed at community engagement.
Your poem is so powerful! You capture so beautifully what heartbreak feels like, in all its different forms. You have so many great metaphors in the poem as well! I think my favorite part is when you say that that hearing the words “i love you” are the only way to free you from the pain and rage. It really speaks to the power of love and how much pain you are portraying though your words as well! Heartbreak is such a weird human emotion but you describe it so well in this poem! Great work! Thank you for letting the world read your words!