Hearts of Darkness

Beware
They are here
Walking amongst us
Even as you read this

They look like us
Outward appearances though
Can be deceiving
When they speak
Their words appear to come
From a human tongue
They eat the same food
They buy the same shampoo
They cheer for the Red Sox
They boo the Yankees
Yet they are not like us
Not like us at all

Where their heart should be
Is a void
A void as dark and as cold
As deepest space
There are no feelings
There are no emotions
No heartache
No tears
At birth
A tiny black hole
Was placed in their chest

We have all met
Someone with a
Heart of darkness
Why this happens
No one can say
Maybe Einstein knew

We are drawn to them
By gravity
By charisma
We become
Their friends
Their lovers
Their husbands
Their wives
By all appearances
The evolution
Of a normal relationship
Is what we experience
Never noticing
When bits and pieces
Of our souls
Gradually fade away
Our orbit becomes
Limited
By the pull
Of the black hole

Those around us
Can read the signs
Like trackers
After a rabid wolf
They can see
The changes
We begin to manifest
The glazed over stare
The hours spent
Waiting for the phone
To bring whispers
Of hope to our door
Before long
We accept excuses
We forgive without question

Deep inside though
A piece of us
Remains, still fighting
The good fight
Avoiding the gravity
Clinging to a bit of hope
A ray of star shine
Wanting to scream
Into deaf ears
What are we doing
Why are we allowing ourselves
To be used this way
We have become
A beautiful book
Whose pages are never read
Placed on display
For the world to see
A trophy
Awarded to the selfish
The insincere
The ones who talk a good talk
Get what they want
And return to
The pit
From which they crawled
Leaving the shattered
Broken heart
Of one who dared to love
Scattered upon the ground
Amidst the autumn leaves

Waiting for one
Who understands the pain
To gently gather the pieces
Wrap them in gauze
And plant a tiny
Seed of hope
That tomorrow
Will bring the warmth
Of an honest heart