RAW
by Eric Machan Howd
The heart
is always
tender,
always rare;
it breaks
and heals,
breaks
and heals,
becoming
tougher
with each
beating.
Why
protect
it?
behind rib
cage
and cartilage?
Why toughen
outward
demeanor
to hide
inward
pain? Pretend?
Why not
eat the
heart
as the
Inuits do?
Use ulu knife
to free
muscle
from chest,
bite into hot,
iron-tinged
gushing flesh,
roll our eyes
into head,
as sharks do,
wild ecstasy,
wild orgasm,
to bring
everything
back to blood,
to survival.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Like you, I find it so interesting how we think so similarly! I was actually quickly reading the poems on the Ottawa trip and I laughed when I read the words: "gushing", "blood", "flesh" - that I also used in my poem :)
ReplyDeleteAlthough, I was really shocked by the ending - scary and graphic eating of the heart ritual thingy - after a "tender" introduction at the beginning.
What does "heart eating" mean / symbolise? To the Inuits and to you? Maybe you could expand on this idea?
I like the rib cage/cartilage as a protective tough outer shell analogy for protecting the tender heart inside.
Eric,
ReplyDeleteGreat poem! I love how each stanza is so quick, so succinct; it ties together well, yet each stanza is almost a different thought and kind of leaves you hanging as you jump to the next line.
I kind of got a darker feeling near the end of the poem, when you started talking about eating the heart. The eating theme brings interesting meaning when I reread the first line "The heart/ is always/ tender", which ties the poem together in a way you have to reread to get.
I'm curious, you seem to make the contrast between eating a heart and keeping it weak (if I read this correctly); what do you mean by this? How does 'eating a heart' in the Inuit tradition symbolize strength?
I think this poem has a good message, though, to not always worry solely about outward appearances but to also worry about the inside, making sure maybe mentally we are safe and strong.
Thanks for sharing Eric!