Texture of a Human Heart
Poetry, back by popular demand
Writer’s note: I have been gone longer than I want to be do to a lot of life circumstances. I plan to be more regular for the remainder of the year!
Also, I promise if you read this poem that I am/will be okay.
ChatGPT says the texture of a human heart is firm but somewhat pliable, like dense rubber or tough meat. This week, I beg to differ. The heart is a water balloon a toddler fills long beyond its capacity When it popped, the liquid ran down my cheeks. Then, it became a kettlebell beyond what I can lift weighing down my chest beneath sweat-soaked sheets. Then, I heard the kitten outside crying the black-and-white one you helped me feed. The heart became an egg, the shells cracking The rawness leaked. All of this was missing in the AI algorithm, all of this humanness hard to explain. How could the robot know without the privilege to feel pain?
This is beautiful, Courtney.