Beaten Heart – 24th October 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen

And so it must be repeated…

…when the cat scratches at the door wanting to be let in
come, come

And so it must be repeated…

…when screeches of missiles fly overhead
run, run

And so it must be repeated…

…when Mama’s voice soothes the frayed edges
there, there

And so it must be repeated…

…when the fringe comes to the centre
win, win

And so it must be repeated…

…when the image of the devil is hailed as a hero
praise, praise

And so it must be repeated…

…when all the signs of dying breaths disappear
gone, gone

And so it must be repeated…

…when the locks are bolted after sunset
tight, tight

And so it must be repeated…

…when shiny ribbons emerge from the dust
curiouser and curiouser

And so it must be repeated…

…when the tide rises to overwhelm the bloodied sands
rush, rush

And so it must be repeated…

…when the swarm of flies search for new flesh
buzz buzz

And so it must be repeated…

…when the ghoulish fiends build castles on the haunted beach
higher and higher

And so it must be repeated…

…when the night breaks so does the heart
beat

beat

beat

Shared with dVerse Poetics: Of Mantras, Repetita Juvant and The Sunday Whirl Wordle 676 and inspired by this post at Sunra Rainz

14 thoughts on “Beaten Heart – 24th October 2024”

  3. I like how the sense of alarm starts with the cat and also all the staccato sounds in the poem that echo the heartbeat, like in this stanza:

    “And so it must be repeated……when the locks are bolted after sunset
    tight, tight”

    And the poignant stanza of Mama soothing the frayed edges when she herself suffers. I’m really glad I inspired you, Shaun, thank you for the shout-out 🙌🏽

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  5. That the poem ends on a beat, heart beat, seems so inevitable, so natural, given the drumbeats of war and weather and havoc on earth and under earth, only to unearth “ghoulish fiends” ready to devour the last remnants of life, of hope. Reads apocalyptically scary, and you’ve conveyed that pounding fear so very adeptly, Shaun.

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  7. The beating of the heart is such an incredible constant, never giving up for a lifetime, unless we are unlucky, and a fitting place to finish this list poem which is thought provoking Shaun…

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