The Prayer of a Hardened Romantic
T. Karsten Braatz
Oh God, I need a heart that's new,
that leaps to my throat at the slam of a
door
then pounds out fear
sending ice water shivers down my
quivering spine
A heart that stands up and cheers a
Gauguin sunset
or floats away on the breath of a
breathless kiss
Even a leaden heart that drips thick tears would I prefer to this
gray-suited dirge-playing hammer of mine For this stainless steel heart
beats a monotonous song
calloused by death
sterilized and disaster-proofed
forever in time but forever in time.
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