The heart has medieval
persistence
and pumps out
blotchy tapestries
of thrones
and forests
to prove fidelity

it can chew up
mouthfuls
of stained glass
sending them
ringing into the blood
like a knight falling
from a turret

it never hesitates
it adores armor
it sustains the solemn beat
of the victor's horse
in the stone courtyard
of the vanquished

it is blind
and its burnt-out sockets stare
as in a starving face
at a dungeon window
yet it survives
the rack and the whip
only to kill itself
because the lady's body
is consumed
under another's hand

if allowed its own way
it will live for long periods
as an infant
yet it is also
the only one who can
locate the lost child
quicker than the wolves.