I took my heart out for him tonight
a pitiful ball of cloth wrapped around glass pieces
I unwrapped it without a word
letting the pieces fall helter skelter into the usual mess
I let him look me in my eyes
when he took the pieces in his hands
let him read the grooves and sharp edges
in the lines on my face
matching pieces to the damage in my skin
He held my gaze
slipping pieces into new patterns
locking them in place
He didn't hurry
patient in this impossible puzzle
He read the tear tracks
Paused when sitting was all I could bear
Until he handed the last piece to me
Let me find a place for it
before taking my beautiful new heart
wrapping it too tenderly for words
in the ragged old cloth
He handed it back
but didn't walk away.
