For a Heart

If I only had a heart...

I close my eyes and smile at the pain
Wet squelch of my fist in flesh
Grip it tightly and recall
The memory of once before

A quiet struggle to free it from its cage
Labored breaths of agony suppressed
Crimson, carmine all around
Held within my palm at last

Dead muscle drenched in gore
Broken, fractured this one was
Place it in the vault with all the rest
A hidden crypt that no one knows

As I begin my search anew I look
Down at the ragged hole within me
Upon the bloody trail I have left
Back to the dozens of heart filled chests

And as I gaze upon my past
I stay awhile and wonder
Will I ever be able to cease
This fruitless quest...For a Heart...
...Not torn asunder...

Author's Note

How many broken hearts are locked away in your vault?

I do believe this is the most gruesome I've ever been in a poem. What do you think?

Reviews

[KAin]

Vivid, visceral, powerful. A vault of broken hearts, i see... A dim room... a black receptacle bound by chains and leaking blood on a rusty iron floor. A figure sits atop this grim repository... Brooding... with a gaping hole in his own chest. That's the image I'm left with. It's raw, brutal and effective...nicely done, Caradoc.

[Caradoc]

Almost perfect. I was going for something really close to that. Thanks for stopping by, Landred.

[redflutterby]

We give our heart away many times in life...and often we end up holding what remains of it in our hands. Then lock that damaged love away till we find the strength to try again. Just my feelings on this... I love your style of writing..;-)

[Caradoc]

Aaaaand someone got it. Lovely!

Thank you so much Red, for reading and reviewing my piece. I feel a sudden sense of validation. Have a wonderful day. :)

[redflutterby]

Yay!!! Do I get a prize....lol?? Youre welcome hun...;-)

[Caradoc]

Hmm...we will see. I have to go searching through my other vault. Don't worry. There are no hearts in that one. :P

[redflutterby]

Lmao....spare body parts maybe....plundered gold....strawberries and chocolate?? Haha... ;-pp

[AprilRN1210]

very powerful indeed... This one had me confused... intrigued.... I read several times and am still perplexed because on one side, I feel the vulnerability, the longing of the "beast", wondering if it's his heart that was "broken and fractured".... Then on the other side, I feel his evil, his thirst for more, to break and add to his "collection".....

[Caradoc]

Hmm...It becomes apparent that I was not as clear as I thought I was being when I wrote this poem. No one seems to have realized what I was getting at. Still, all of the misinterpretations are in their own way valid, based on how things were worded. Chock up a victory for my education at the University of Cryptic and Vague!

Thanks for reading and reviewing.

[AprilRN1210]

Well, cryptic and vague this definitely was... beautifully so.. I still enjoyed it confused and all...

[Ghost of Jupiter]

Oh,chilling write, Caradoc...and yes, very gruesome, yet not too over the top, in my opinion. Well done.

[Caradoc]

Oh thank you very much, K.

[Ghost of Jupiter]

you're welcome :)

[FateDictates]

me thinks someone has you mad, but it makes you churn out interesting work..

[Caradoc]

Mad? No. Merely wanting to rip the broken thing out of my chest and replace it with one that works.

Thanks for stopping by.

[Lyn Anderson]

Ahh, magnificent, my friend, in the faves and in the vault, and yes, getting your heart squashed makes one think about all the ones you crushed too ...

[Caradoc]

And it makes you wonder how many more are going to find their to your vault when all is said and done.

Thank you for reading and reviewing. I'm am very pleased you enjoyed this one.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i have enough that it would make a screenplay for "Creepshow 3" if stephen king were to decide to write another.

i relate to this...several of reached in and pulled my heart out of my chest...and now it is hanging by a thread...barely attached to me.

vivid write.

[Caradoc]

I used to love watching Creepshow. I'm glad this piece is relatable to you and the others who have read it. Thank you.

[Travis Gibson (poetic h..]

Wonderful poetic expression here. I have many broken hearts to answer for... I just hope they don't all come for me at once.

[Caradoc]

That would be...unfortunate. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I'm glad you liked this one.