waste-landed heart

once upon a time
she hardly remembers,
the girl with tumble weed hair
and rose petal lips
was not afraid of heartbreak.

she kept her head held high
so she could learn
from birds in the sky
how to gently unfurl
the delicate wings encasing
a heart three-sizes too big
for her hope-filled chest
watch her as she breathes in
the meadow-scented winds.

it maps out her desires
before leaving her body
through her breezy laughter
spreading her love
across the distant seas
like dandelion seeds.

she was always
searching for something
to latch onto,
foundations for a home
but time after time
she could only find
concrete hearts
that beat to a rhythm
too heavy
too harsh
too grey

they tear through her
like meteors
too foreign
too destructive
too unforgiving
look how they set fire
to her dandelion field
spilling sunsets
from her waste-landed heart.

(shortlisted in the 18-21 poetry category for the melbourne library young writers awards)