The Beating of Two Hearts
I've been a silent witness to the beating of two hearts.
Heart one.
I've watched her grow to woman from girl.
Listened to her longings and secret hopes.
Watched over her sleep and heard her sighs.
Received a pat and seen her smile
On days filled with happiness.
Been damp with tears and squeezed so hard
On days where sorrow was too much to endure.
Loved her from the moment I arrived
Until the moment when she had to leave.
Been sent to guard another's heart.
I feel hers stop and am filled with grief.
Heart two.
I've watched him grow from day to day.
Listened to his anger and his joys.
Watched over his sleep and heard his sighs.
Started my life with him, damp with tears.
But seen his smiles as they remember her.
Been squeezed so hard
On days when sorrow was too much to endure.
Loved his truth, kindness and softness.
Hated the sadness and hardness that give him no peace.
He would not let me share his pain,
Shutting me away, unseen.
But still I heard the sighs and tears
And longed to fulfil my role,
To comfort and protect.
My heart.
Suddenly he comes to me:
His guilt, failure, sorrow wrapped around him like a shroud.
Takes me out and squeezes me,
Whispers that he doesn't deserve to have me,
That he's forgotten his promise and let her down.
My heart threatens to break,
Mirroring the cracks forming in his.
I am carried to another's home.
I hear the beating of his breaking heart.
He knocks and waits.
Tears from his face fall onto mine
As he places me in another's gentle hands.
You should have him. I don't deserve him anymore.
In the silence, I await my fate.
The beating of two hearts.
Then I am squashed between the two.
A soft voice whispers:
You haven't failed and we're still good.
Me and Thee always.
Me and Thee.
And then I hear it:
Two beating hearts that beat as one.
Broken parts becoming whole.
I am restored to my rightful place -
Guardian, protector, confidante -
And my own heart fills with joy.