“It looks like a scorpion,” he said.
What?!?!? She thought. That’s a heart.
That’s clearly a heart.
How could it possibly look like a—oh wait,
He’s right. It does look like a scorpion.
And a heart.
And that’s when she thought about scorpions living inside hearts.
Magnificent defended hearts
Tucked behind the bars of ribs,
Pulsing in the darkness
Waiting
Ready to stab
Anyone
Who careens
Too close
Too carelessly
Close.

Be gentle with your scorpion hearts this Valentines Day

The practice is inspired by Naomi Shihab Nye and her notion that words are like oars. Dip them in the water. Explore with them. Feel how they touch and bump up against one another. Let them take us further down the stream.