A fat pincushion, it has been stabbed over and over

Alrighty! Since it's the first of April here, I'm now posting the first poem since I realized that tomorrow I won't be near a computer for the whole day, and I might forget.

---------

Heart

It is a steadfast soldier
marching you smartly to all your destinations.

It pumps tirelessly; an engine
driving your blood from valve to vein.

A fat pincushion, it has been stabbed over and over
by the pangs of love

And within its four chambers,
Eros and Aphrodite perform their courtly dance.

You can carry it in your hands
or appliqué it to your sleeve

It has alchemical properties: can be changed to stone
to gold to ice.

It is the valentine that says it loves you best.
Only your mirror is more faithful.

And it keeps Time for you
with all the impartiality of a judge or a good watch.

Joan LaBombard

From: Pocket Poems selected by Paul B. Janeczko