My Heartsong

I was made of the soil and the sky

And of the taste of needless blood

I was made of happy, salty tears

And a sense of never being enough

I was made of lazy summer vacation afternoons

And also of unexpected school closures and curfews

I was made of crochets and knitting needles

And of small rooms and verandas with obstructed views

I was made also of song and love

And selfless toil and plastic dolls

And to these ingredients were mixed

Society’s closets two sizes too small

So along with the longing to be of the soil

And the desire to be of the sky

There was also a need to fit in

And, my love, did I try!

But my heart, my heart was made

Specifically of flowing stream

It ripples with love and joy and pain

It remembers kisses, dances, protests, screams

But it is also of the nature to flow

It forgives, renews, it’s wild and free

It doesn’t know whether the pain it washes

Belongs really to you or me

So its song, its wafting country heartsong

Is a reminder of our ability

To hold all that we are made of

And still be collectively whole and free