A Wigwam for a Goose's Bridle

We lose

a piece of our hearts

when we lose

someone we love,

but that was the deal, 

the trade: a piece

of yours for a piece

of mine.  Will we find

each other in an afterlife

and be known by the way

our hearts fit together

like finding the missing puzzle piece

you thought was gone for good? 

My heart is patchwork – 

don’t mistake this

for damaged or inferior – yes,

it is used, it is worn, 

but therein lies its beauty:

it has loved and been loved. 

(co-written with Kitty Jayne Smith)