a word exercise inspired by my friend femi corazon, whose name means “heart” and “love.”

my heart, she said,
showing it c-a-r-e-f-u-l to him
making sure he knew
the proper way of holding it
as she slid it gently over.
love me, she whispered,
but he only stared d
o
w
n
at his hands
wondering how suddenly
they seemed too small.
as he looked closer
at its slightly irregular form
he thought, this isn’t love.
this isn’t the way it should feel.
opening w  i  d  e his fingers
he felt her heart s
l
i
p
to the floor;
walking away he reasoned
that his hands had been
the perfect size –
it was her fault
that her heart
had been to large.