My Heart

Posted on 2023-07-05 by Bartholomew Barker

My heart untimely ripped from its chest,
I saw it held in nail-polished claws
and watched the life ooze down a slender arm.

“Don’t let me stop you giving this to another,”
she said as she walked away.
“But you still have it,” I cried.

“You gave it to me, didn’t you?” she countered.
“You promised this was mine forever,”
using my honor against me as women do.

“Besides, it’s better this way,” she explained,
“you’d only give this heart to the
next pretty young thing that happened by.”

And I could not argue the point
as I watched her take my heart
and fade into the crowd.

There’s an emptiness at my core now,
a satisfying ache reminding me that
it really is better this way.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of my first poetry collection, Wednesday Night Regular. To celebrate I’m posting my favorite poems from the book on Wednesday nights, of course.

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About Bartholomew Barker

Bartholomew Barker is an organizer of Living Poetry, a collection of poets in the Triangle region of North Carolina where he has hosted a monthly feedback workshop for more than decade. His first poetry collection, Wednesday Night Regular, written in and about strip clubs, was published in 2013. His second, Milkshakes and Chilidogs, a chapbook of food inspired poetry was served in 2017. He was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2021. Born and raised in Ohio, studied in Chicago, he worked in Connecticut for nearly twenty years before moving to Hillsborough where he lives and writes poetry.
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6 Responses to My Heart

  1. berniebell1955's avatar berniebell1955 says:
    2023-07-06 at 02:56

    “it really is better this way.”

    I disagree – you can live from love, or live from fear – the choice is yours – but fear kills the mind, and the soul.

    This one won’t be going in m’blog – I don’t encourage fear-full behaviour.

    There – that’s you told!

    Liked by 1 person

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  2. Dawn Pisturino's avatar Dawn Pisturino says:
    2023-07-19 at 15:00

    What a fabulous poem!!

    Liked by 1 person

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  3. Susi Bocks's avatar Susi Bocks says:
    2023-08-03 at 16:32

    There are definitely “Lorena Bobbits of souls” out there. Beware.

    Liked by 1 person

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