Amor Vincit Omnia

Swifter wings have brought misfortune hence

But never had I seen any with such dark plumage

as those which fluttered above my heart one day

and plucked it from its cage

That day I rattled and shook with emptiness

And put a hand to my chest

I looked down

Then up again

To see my heart being borne across the sea

It soared then sank below the horizon

Just as he had

But I know coincidence well

and I wept wishing this were one

I mourned the loss of his touch more than

I missed the beat of my own heart

He held me as though I were made of glass

Cherished me as if I were made of gold

but in truth I am neither glass nor gold

nor am I flesh and bone

I am heart and soul

yet my heart is brittle and my soul a little weary

and so I shatter and scuff like tableware

When we danced he cradled my very soul in his arms

With my head upon his breast,

I breathed wanton breath

My eyes closed and truth stole from my lips

I swayed and fell into his embrace

He left me with a promise to return,

and I believed he would.

That had always been my downfall:

From the moment it began to beat,

my heart was never my own.

All my life long

it sought to belong to another.

Most hearts do, in fact

and very few prevail

Amor vincit omnia

Love conquers all

I marvel at my own defeat from the water’s edge.

Silhouetted against the sky,

a cormorant passes overhead and settles upon the shore.