A Condition of the Heart




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 Eis, zugefrorener See
 Florentin Moser




my heart feels distant 
meted out in the periphery of my vision
its edges bristled 
without my understanding why

with eyes slit
i can spy it
across the horizon of my days
glistening in the hardened light
the center cracked under a burden
bargained and paid for
with tears fixed in place
by dime store mascara

and i wonder if i will find my way
across it's face
before it is too late
to soften toward spring again




copyright/all rights reserved Audrey Howitt 2013

posted for dVerse Poets




Comments

  1. sad, beautiful and oh, so vivid. I really like the line of the mascara held in place ...brings it up close and personal.

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  2. sometimes winter, and the metaphor of winter can seem so long for as dark as it gets...and as cold...and we wonder if we will ever see the light again, but the seasons remind us as well...spring always comes...so keep on walking...smiles.

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  3. The second stanza is just incredible. I love the imagery.

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  4. I specially like the ending stanza ~ Winter here is so long that I can just dream of spring right now ~ Happy Tuesday ~

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  5. Oh, I can picture those tears held in place by dime store mascara. I like the hopefulness at the end, the softening toward spring!

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  6. the winter hardness can settle deep
    as your words so beautifully sing...

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  7. Like the depth of yearning in this, Audrey - beautifully done... With Best wishes Scott www.scotthastie.com

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  8. I like this glimpsing. Sometimes when I write poetry I have to squint my eyes to see what is inside better.

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  9. The winter of life is dreary... the hope of spring may be seen at the horizon. One has to keep on looking for the way. Thoughtful writing, well-penned.
    -HA

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  10. Ah so the heart is struck a dull note, dues paid, now more deserving.
    Come on spring!
    A whimsical write, despairing in part, hopeful in the greater whole.
    Cheers!

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  11. "the center cracked under a burden
    bargained and paid for
    with tears fixed in place
    by dime store mascara"

    Such great use of metaphor, such imposing visuals you have painted here. A fractured heart still has hope of mending. Well written, indeed.

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  12. softening towards spring... i think it's never too late to let the icy parts melt you know... cool take on the pic and ha...was wondering when i read the german title of the pic..smiles

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  13. As others have commented, that line about dime store mascara really stands out of what is a tightly penned piece.

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  14. The heart is a well filled with myriad emotions

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  15. A little of a distraction with coldness of winter which may be cold drab and dark. But knowing spring will follow can be a big consolation. Stay on with it. Great write Audrey!

    Hank

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  16. Other readers pick out certain stanzas:
    I can see nothing but a whole complete wonderful poem.
    Brilliant concept executed with finesse.
    One of those 'I wish I had written this'.

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  17. Sad and beautiful and leaves one with just a glimmer of hope. Loved this and pearling it.

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  18. A truly magnificent poem, filled with the emotions winter often brings with the hope of Spring to soften all the hard places. Beautiful Audrey!

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  19. I love your poetry, Audra. Whatever it is you do, you seem to speak to my heart with your words. Thank you for the beauty you bring into this world.

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  20. This was so easy to feel. So easy to feel the feelings of the poet. Each word was a perfect choice. Hugs!

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  21. Yes, you can. With words like yours, we all can.

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  22. Such an effective parallelism of the effects of winter and emotions. How the weather affects us! Well done.

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  23. Softening toward spring.. yes still to far away.. great words

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  24. I too love that last line - softening towards spring sounds just right: suddenly I am thinking 'duvet', now (it's late here)...

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  25. That's the lovely thing - spring always comes again

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  26. It's all broken ice and broken hearts - It looks and feels familiar - beautiful work.

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  27. sad and beautiful… I have faith that the softening will come.

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  28. Softening towards spring... yes. Tears held IN PLACE by mascara is a haunting image... usually it's smeared mascara or raccoon eyes or what have you. But placing the tears in stasis was very effective. A small detail that popped out as I enjoyed this lovely poem. Amy

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  29. So visual - it made me think about the seasons and then compare them to relationships and hope the softening is a good thing like spring is....

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  30. Lovely work, Audrey. I found your site through Alexandra and had to come check it out because you have been one of my favorites on Hubpages.

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  31. Beautiful work Audrey. This really touched my heart.

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  32. beautiful.. loved the end. such great imagery
    (I'm not sure if the system ate my previous comment, if not, sorry for repeating).

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    Replies
    1. Hi Natasa--I tried to follow your link back to you from here, but was directed to a google+ site in Chinese--I didn't think it was you

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  33. I admire the way you paint a vivid painting with just a few, well chosen words. Brilliant!

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  34. I searched around for a more updated blog post, but for some reason couldn't find something more recent. Regardless, I'm glad I found this one. It resonates with my own feelings at times, when melancholy just lingers from a heart piercing.

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