Blackbirdan online journal of literature and the artsFall 2015  Vol. 14 No. 2
poetryfictionnonfictiongalleryfeaturesbrowse
an online journal of literature and the arts
 print preview
back SUE D. BURTON

All in All, Another Productive Day in the Thicket of Disappointment

My brain in a bramble, heart in a porcupine vest. & at the end of
the box, a pair of Red Fox Racers—hyperextended toes, dangling
chokecherries. Birds & bitter berries up there in the brain as well.
Of course, the heart is a “little brain.” Oxytocin & social cues. Not
just a simple pump. So, for instance, if the heart races, you will
feel anxious, & if you feel anxious, the heart will race. Antidotally,
tickle the heart three times a week. Tickle me. What a lovely old-
fashioned word. In my field, we say the show must go on—i.e., art
has a mission. Well, then a broken heart is a problem.  end  


return to top