this sadly damaged heart
this badly fractured
bruised and aching heart
broken in your cruel hands
it was abused — then cast away
like some cheapskate’s knickknack
or worthless bauble with which to play
it was not your shiny ornament
to decorate your ego
nor a piece of bric-a-brac
to collect like some odd curio
not a trifle toy or novelty
this heart was so much more to me
than some lowly dime-store tchotchke
to be abandoned thoughtlessly
no, it was not some silly whatnot
to dingle-dangle in your hands
I didn’t offer you some gewgaw
because I’m not your doodah man
I really can’t believe you’d think it
was just some silly trinket
I’ve now no need for this ruined heart
so I plucked it from my chest
to find a warm and vital heart
this is now a lover’s quest
I seek a fresh and vibrant heart
one of a perfect size
and a kind and gentle lover
who will hold it as a prize
No, I can’t believe you’d think it
was just some silly trinket
Hi! I’m Edgrrr, rob’s shih tzu.
We kind of went to the same place with our poems this time, Rob. Except that yours is better. Hard to imagine, sometimes, how hello turns into hell and leaves us going “Oh…”
Thank you Shay, but I LOVED your Trinket Jerry. What a holy hoot!! 😉 Yes, it’s a crap shoot to be vulnerable…
Ah. The heart as a trinket. I can’t believe there are people in the world like this but there.
Yes, sadly more than we probably realize Toni.
No, I can’t believe you’d think it
was just some silly trinket
Yes Rob, it has to be treated with care. Human tragedy through the ages had made that blatant mistake to cause hurt than to love.
Hank
The great contradiction Hank — the heart is powerful in life, sustaining us, but fragile in love, destroying us.
That’s tellin’ em! Good to reclaim one’s power … and renew one’s heart.
Love, or the illusion of it, can make one weak and foolish Rosemary. Giving one’s heart requires great trust, just as dies receiving another’s heart. Without the exchange of and respect for trust – there can be no true love.
“a kind and gentle lover
who will hold it as a prize”
not everyone is willing to leave and wait for a kind and gentle lover. I don’t understand it, but it’s true.
So many find it difficult to believe they are worthy of love, perhaps because early in life they never, for one reason or another, were never shown they were worthy – or worst case, were never shown love at all. So they grasp and hold on to what they perceive to be love Margaret, and end up empty handed.
The title of your poem made me sit up, Rob, and then I read the opening lines and sighed at the thought of a sad or tragic poem, especially when I read how badly damaged the heart was after being ‘cast away like some cheapskate’s knickknack’. I enjoyed all the synonyms for ‘trinket’. But you surprised me with defiance – I love the phrase ‘I’m not your doodah man’ and the rhyming couplet at the end.
In love, you must be willing to give, and to “not settle” when it comes to receiving Kim. Speak up for yourself I believe!
Love this, Rob. All the rhymes are great and the cadence gently gallops, and the words are just really clever. The doodah man stanza is my favorite for sure! Dude.
Thank you Marion! I been “Truckin’” in my life… like the Doodah Man… 🙂
This is really marvelous and tugs at my heartstrings, for we’ve all been here.
Thank you Linda, so glad this resonated for you. Yes, its difficult to get through life without being the “fool for love” somewhere along the line. But one does not need to remain the fool.
This made me weep, a heart is not a trinket (something of little value). Too often the heart is given to the wrong people and love is such a precious gift.
Love can be a many splendored thing True, but it can also be a trap, if it’s not the right person. Thing is, get out if it is doing you harm. Love should bolster, not blister.
A loving heart is definitely not a trinket to be trifled with!
Never Kerry!
It is awful what some will do to a heart. Hello can be a hellish ride to goodbye.
The heartless have no clue how to treat a loving heart Susie.
Nice reading, Rob. When love becomes one sided, one of those becomes hurt so very badly and the other will lead a new life with her/his new love. Been there. I was taking our love for granted, wrong! Got to work to keep it. My second marriage is different, one ‘trincket’ I carry is a picture I drew for her, a heart with a cupid’s arrow. Now after 46 years I still take that little picture out of my Bible during church for her to read again, “You’ve stolen my heart.” And she smiles, blushing almost like a new bride. One example of “working”.
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Whether in a marriage Jim, or just a meaningful relationship, we have all likely stumbled somewhere along love’s path. Hopefully for the sincere, that is how life and love lessons are learned.
Rob, I left this comment on the Toads’ page in answer to your comment and others,
“Sorry, Rob and others. I’ve had some terrible spam comments and harrassment. For the past ten years I have it set for Google accounts only with moderation after 14 days. Quite a few open a Google account with no blog just to be able to comment. Google wants to cotroll the whole cyber world, I bowed here.
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I had forgotten about that setting. Mostly I thought some didn’t leave comments. The other equation, like your blog, is that the blogger link doesn’t lead to the current WordPress blog but it is on Mr. Linky. 1 + 1 = 2. Others have one pafe Google Blogger blog with their current blog URL showing where they now post their writings.
I love comments. But my statistics keeper shows that about two others read for every comment left. More than half are relatives with no blogs and Facebook friends. The others?
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Thanks, Rob, for the note you left at the Garden. You can take this one and the preceding comment off.
And thank you very much for reading my writings. If you ever open a Google account I’d love your comments.
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