The Ballad of a Heart

A look at a Heart handling the loss of its companion.

A Heart starts beating. Born into this world, its journey begins. Life goes on, yet its beat remains the same. But come the day it believes it has found its counterpart, the beat may change. As the Heart meets an exhilarating presence, its beat gradually races. Beating so fast, its rhythm is equivalent to one in the midst of a marathon. The heart is swept off its feet, and it knows that for the first time in its life, great change is knocking at the door. For this is the Heart's first encounter with Love. 

The Heart can't sleep, and the Heart can't eat. There is only one thing on its mind. It waits all day, and it waits all night to feel a beat it knows all too well. When its counterpart is beating beside it, the rhythms are in sync. The Heart is at optimal peace of mind. The Heart huddles close to its lover and begs Time to release them from its lasting grip, for it cannot fathom an end to the promising road that lies ahead. Yet, the Heart's mind echoes, "All good things must come to an end." 

One day, whether it is a few weeks, months, years, or a life time down the promising road, the Heart senses yet another significant change. The beat of its beloved slowly begins to diverge out of sync. As the beats move further and further away from the original rhythm, a crack in the Heart simultaneously grows larger. The Heart longs for the connection it believed it once had. It longs for the racing and out of breath feeling. It pleads for the nauseous sensation derived from butterflies in the stomach. It begs for the warmth and comfort it once got from its counterpart's reciprocated beat. Despite all the pain, its mind attempts to offer reassurance. "Everything will be all right." 

The Heart does not care. It cannot hear nor feel the beat of its companion. "I cannot live without my beloved," the Heart shouts to the sky. The Heart curses God and everything Holy for the pain and misery it feels. It paces back and forth asking itself important questions: "What did I do wrong?" "How can I fix this?" "How can I be a better companion?" Once again, the Heart cannot sleep, nor can the Heart eat. Continuously forcing the blame on itself, the Heart is lost. Yet again, the mind begins to speak. "Only time will heal your wounds." 

Days go by, and the Heart becomes stronger. It is less vulnerable and begins eating and sleeping again. The Heart finally comes out of its shell. It goes out with friends, has a positive and optimistic attitude, and begins to realize that what happened was not its fault. The crack is slowly healing. The Heart looks deep inside and asks for guidance. This time, the Soul takes control. "Everything happens for a reason. You find a partner who rattles your body inside and out. Some times your beats match up, and some times they don't. Some times they begin to match up but fade apart. One day, you'll find the one whose beat becomes in sync with yours but never fades. One day, there will be an end to the promising road. However, this time, bidding each other farewell from Earth. For in another life, your souls will find their way back to each other." 

The Heart begins to cry. The Soul gives the Heart the last bit of motivation it needs to become fully healed. Now, the Heart is ready. It looks down the road and takes a second to gather itself. The Heart looks back and begins to smile. It shakes its head and starts walking ahead. Its mind whispers one last time, "There are plenty more hearts in the sea."

Reviews

[Kathryn Smith]

Oh my goodness, Matt. You're a breath of fresh air! How has no one reviewed your work yet??! First of all, Welcome to WC. When I was first here I didn't get reviews for months...so maybe it takes time?

Anyways..this is a very good write. I could relate to it, and the beginning of it reminded me of the film Age of Adeline. I loved this so much, and it was all nothing but trueness. Our heart can tell us so much..and it's overwhelming at times. I usually follow mine even though it gets me in trouble. haha!
Well done good sir, keep it up! :) Really. This was wonderful!