I loosed my heart once
in a second of pure impulse,
opened the cage of my chest
& it flew to perch
on your shoulder,
all the while singing.
When you left
it went with you,
made a nest
in your beard
& months later
finally returned home
in unwilling migration
to quietly pulse your memory
through my veins.
***sharing this with the folks over at dVerse, because I love the bird imagery.
Susan Daniels Poetry 
I am always correcting loose and lose in the course of my day job, so much so that I had to type loosing 3 times in the title without changing it to losing 🙂
I think it would also work if it’s written as:
“I lost my heart once” ~ I can’t see the “looseness” as the person just left ~
I like the imagery of the bird in your words ~
Happy day to you ~
Thank you 🙂
I did choose “loosed” as it implies I freed it to go where it would, as opposed to misplacing it somewhere (like I always do my car keys). So, “freed” would work here too–have not decided what to change it to yet, if anything. As always, thanks for any input you feel like sharing 🙂
Please keep ’em coming 🙂
And yet you still long to fuse “this broken thing” into one again. Such sweet hopefulness. May it bring you blessings, Susan.
Thanks George (2 different situations, 20 years apart) 🙂
Ah, makes more sense that way. I’m obviously thinking too linearly.
Ah, there is a bit here that is linear–the poem about those long walks written yesterday brought this one out today–so linear in memory (but how would you guys know that, not being inside my head–which obviously is a very crowded place right now, with all the resurfacing memory elbowing its way in.
Does sound a bit crowded in there. And certainly some memories would be better if swept out. If at all possible. Then again, there are others that are a joy to rediscover.
George, that is a marvelous observation. Perhaps a spring cleaning/rearrangement is in order.
This is simply beautiful, if a poem that describes the joys of giving and the pains we feel when love goes as beautiful !
Thanks so much, Noel. I think the walking poem brought this one out–and I can appreciate the beauty now (not so much, say, 20 years ago!)
You are on fire today. This is fabulous.
Thank you Jeremy–I loved the idea of a heart flying out of one’s chest, and thought about that for 60 seconds, and this came out! Had to go with it 🙂
nice concept here. it depends on how one looks at it. i’m going to go the easy route on this one. one could see that one had somebody and then they left and then returned once one found out that what they had was better than what they went after. again this can also be attributed to the muse.
Thanks, Don–glad you enjoyed it.
The image of a nest in a beard and the “unwilling migration” is what makes the poem for me.
Thank you 🙂
I really like this, Susan, and it reminded me of that limerick by Edward Lear:
There was an old man with a beard
Who said “It is just as I feared”
Two owls and a hen
Four larks and a wren
Have all made their nest in my beard
As one with a beard, I must constantly keep checking for such nesters–and if I find anyone’s heart in there, I will likely keep it!
Wow–never heard that one 🙂
Now, that’s a crowded face.
Lovely poem…..love does feels like that, daring to let your heart show….nice writing 🙂
Thanks, Louise, appreciate the visit & the comment 🙂
Amazing imagery here.
Very nice work.
Thanks so much. It was one of those poems that practically pours from your pen complete.
I find this incredibly beautiful, to read and read again… wonderful images
Ruth, thank you! This one was a gift, truly 🙂
the bird imagery works really well in it…the unwilling migration of its return carries a lot of emotion as well….for me the singing on its return after the other had left would surely drive me crazy…smiles.
Oh, it was not pretty, but 20 years makes all the difference 🙂
I love the beautiful vulnerability here. Wonder how you would view this lost feeling and love in another decade. Thank you for sharing this!
Well, it took me 20 years to write it, so not sure 🙂
Thanks so much for the lovely comment.
So that’s what happened to my heart! I’ve been wondering for 6 long months – thank you :)!
😀
Yes, they sometimes take off on us, and leave us wondering.
Fine comparison and extended metaphor! Seamless! I Love it. The beating heart is a wondrous bird let out only on rare occasions. And of course it remembers where it has gone with whispers of the old feelings. I too thought of the Lear limerick but, pardon me for dressing the narrator in Gorey images and the bird as a Poe raven!
LOL–I love it–made me smile! Glad you liked.
such creative and beautiful imagery…loved esp. the heart making a nest in his beard..how cool is that..
Claudia, thank you! It was such a traitorous organ in my 20s.
Nice. I liked the imagery too. It must be something to renew after 20 years. Wow. I know the birds sand then.
Thanks, Myrna. Interestingly, this poem came, all by itself, after something else I wrote abut that relationship–did not know it was there, with all this intensity. Found it interesting that I could write that, so much later.
Lovely poem, Susan.
Thank you!
Really cool poem – very heartfelt and vivid. Thanks much. k.
Thank you K.
the bird imagery is magical… this is poignant and heartfelt. lovely.
Thanks so much, Kelly.
those seconds of pure impulse will get you every time
Oh yes–and I think they are worth the price, in the end 🙂
I like loosed. This is beautifully done. The heart is hard to stop while it sings and desires a nest.
Thank you so much! Yes, the heart needs to be set free to do what it will… As long as it comes back 🙂
yes a heart does feel like a bird on a journey =)
It sure does, Lucy…
A heart that flies free! I love it!
🙂 Thanks. Definitely has a direction all its own.
So funny, the bird in the beard! I love that…and then how love returns to you.
Thank you, Stephanie!