Heart

You have conditions…..

You said you would look after me all of my life,

All I had to do was eat right,

Exercise to make you strong

And you would beat to my rhythm like the old African drum,

The old African drum.

All you ask is that I care,

You laughed when I laughed, you were stretched to your limit,

The scary films made you beat faster, work harder,

When the fright was over you would go back to your rhythm,

Slow and steady, slow and ready,

You melted when I held my first child,

You wilted when the other baby died.

I offered you out to the news, when terrible things happened, along with my ‘thoughts’ and ‘prayers’. You did not necessarily agree with my thoughts, you believed she was too rigid, stuck in her ways. You liked my prayers more, you said prayers was a friend to you, that you would send him away for a while and he would come back with gifts.  The most important condition was to not lend you out to be mistreated. I failed you.

Each time you would come back bruised, cut, a piece missing here a chunk there. Some pieces would not return or would come back different. You said you were tired, you do not burst as much when I laugh, you must still be looking for your missing pieces.

I am trying to help you, and not give you away. You say I can’t stop it, that it is part of life, you say that I must give you away, you worry I am not careful. I worry I am not careful. You prefer to be given to the news.

You ask for ‘Prayers’ to get involved, you do not trust me. Things must be bad as you have consulted with ‘Thoughts’

I promise heart I will look after her,

I speak to prayers and send him away,

Thoughts scolded me analyse my past, assess my future

Tell me to read a book, make me cook.

And you will beat to the rhythm of the old African drum

The old African drum