Island
by Elizabeth Montgomery
my heart is an island, born to isolate
flooded by the waves of thoughts
that my mind will always stop
an island, born with roots to grow
tie it to my bones, interlaced and let them roam
and while these rivers all lead to the same beating drum
infested with boats that simply long to hold someone
carrying passion straight to my mind
but my head is a place where my heart can’t survive
the purpose of a heart
the purpose of a bass
keep the beat going
but mine has an unnatural pace
a song of its own, a loner in the band
my heart is meant to set the rhythm, be the melody
but I don’t think it can
ribcage built to deflect the pain
stop the flood, be the gates
yet born within this cage
my heart grows to believe
spreading wings and breaking free
is a transgression undersea
my heart is a bird, drowning in its cage
born and told its wings were fins
and left to suffocate in the waves
delicately coated with feathers
ones which have not yet learned to adapt to the pressure
of being 10 feet under
the waves created by my heart’s wonder
I am trapped in a brain that was not built for moving on
one stuck on everything I’ve done wrong
helplessly the waves of my heart try to quench its flames
hopelessly attempting to tame
but there is no logic in this world
one where my heart is in an island and a bird
a world where my heart is boundlessly cursed
in the end my heart will always get burnt
limitlessly limited my heart remains
an endless number of life lines all leading away
these itinerant saviors come back empty
explorers bound to me
perish as they reach my mind
victims of what they find
my heart does not choose to be this way
it plays the beat it was born to play
my heart does not choose to isolate
it was simply born on the wrong side of the gate
My heart is drowning, in burning waves
My heart is a bird, told to love the cage
My heart is a solo, cursed to break away
My heart is an island, born to isolate
More original poems and artwork from GirlSpring:
- Onward – original artwork
- I Like Me: a poem about self-acceptance
- Doormats and Properties – original poem
Still can’t get enough? You can find hundreds of free poems online at the Poetry Foundation!
