O my bloodless heart,
Nailed to the mirror,
How did you fare,
Exposing your self so,
Shattered at a glance,
Bled dry over time?
I’ll remove the nail,
But the hole remains,
And though you’re whole,
By the mirror’s judgment,
I’ll still be broken.
Prompt: from the kind writers over at the pub, dVerse, “Heart” as part of their Quadrille Series #134.
Discarded Recollections 
I love the imagery this evokes, and the balance of hole/whole.
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Thank you kindly. Oh, you’re right, there is some weird language there.
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Mirrors and hearts, shattered; whole or holey, holy. WOWZA good stuff!
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Thank you kindly. I started by hammering a heart onto a mirror and went from there.
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Flipping awesome.
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You’re much too kind.
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Some scars never show in the mirror, as your poem so nicely states!
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I love the idea of hidden scars. Or magic mirrors that break rather than let you realize you are broken yourself.
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That heart has been punished enough, and so has the keeper of it.
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There’s no such thing as enough punishment! And this heart is clearly capable of more hurt.
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Such poignant and shattering imagery, what more must the heart take and how much more could it handle? That’s the real question and you express the pain so vividly, so evocatively.
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Well thank you for your kind words – this one had enough clarity to avoid my usual struggle to grasp for words, so I appreciate that the natural instinct was a decent one. Also, to answer your question – the heart can take limitless damage, because it rarely learns from its hurt.
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Masa,
Beautifully written. The imagery is striking, a heart torn, unmended. And the mirror tells the tale.
pax,
dora
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Dora,
Thank you for your kind words. The mirror is a liar, but it speaks in loving tones.
Caritatem, et Pacem,
Masa
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I hope you don’t trust that mirror. It sees what it sees, but it doesn’t know that the human heart is resilient. The hole/ whole connection is extraordinarily gorgeous. But the mirror will never comprehend. So, do not trust that mirror!
Excellent poem. Thanks for sharing.
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Indeed, the mirror is a liar – I’m glad you caught that. It lies because it loves us, though.
Your words are far too kind, thank you for the comment.
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Heart wrenching.
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Heart breaking.
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As you say, the mirror judges. It reproduces the surface not what is at the heart, not even of a heart. A thoughtful poem with several layers of meaning.
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Awful clever of you to see beyond the reflections.
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Anyone should, if they really look.
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hits the heart hard, Masa. a powerful ending.
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Thank you kindly. I tend to falter if I dare go longer in length – a reason why I’m quite fond of these quadrilles.
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can definitely relate to that.
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I like this original take on the prompt, which is a lot darker than any I have read so far. Unfortunately, hearts can be broken, and there is a dark side to every heart!
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Thank you for your words, Ingrid. I’m surprised I was one of the few to take this to a darker place, but I think there’s a softness somewhere here.
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Such original imagery! There’s a dark fairy tale feel to it–with the mirrors and hearts. There are many layers to this poem, and I keep re-reading it!
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Thank you – I take “dark fairy tale” as a much too high compliment.
Thankfully it is brief, so the re-readings shouldn’t take too much energy. I hope it continues to attract.
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You’re welcome. 😀
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Oh, my! This is so deeply moving. Love the wordplay and the imagery.
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Why thank you. Wordplay and imagery is all I have.
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Indeed! You are welcome.
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Masa – this is great. I love how every element in the poem had significance – the nail, the mirror, etc. – very powerful imagery!
❤
David
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Thank you, David. The image struck me early and I allowed it to play itself out. Judging from your kind comments, the poem did well for itself.
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If we could see the blemishes on our hearts from pain, it would be a shock. But beating on is its purpose. You words are powerful ones!
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Why thank you kindly. I’m not sure I’d say powerful would describe my narrator’s voice, but I accept the compliment all the same and appreciate your coveted time.
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I’ll remove the nail,
But the hole remains,”
oof. So much power in so few words.
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Nails go into holes, but what was there before?
Thank you.
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Heartbreaks leave holes … impossible to fill. Well penned ….
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You are too kind, thank you. I think the hole can be filled with nails if it comes to it.
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Excellent use of imagery. Well done.
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Much appreciated. The image came to mind before the poem.
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You’re welcome.
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Mirrors can be so judgmental ….
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This one judges with love. Or at least intended to.
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Mirrors can really break any heart (or maybe turn them to stone)
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It’s funny you mention that. I did at one point include a line about a bloodless heart being “But a malformed stone”, but I didn’t quite have the room for it.
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This is incredibly poignant!
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Why thank you! I was certainly endeavoring to invoke an emotional response.
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