Change of Heart

I met a man, who had his heart removed;

In long hours of blink-less surgery,

He had dreamt.

 

He ran, Central Park in the afternoon, winding through trees and girls tanning under sun,

(Surgeons made a hole where once there'd been a man's chest. )

Swam the lake; he was a child again, bright leaves and dark water clouding his vision,

(They installed a living heart from the dead, kept under ice. )

Waltzed his wife, ballroom bulbs flashing, a champion's smooth steps and turns reappearing,

(Connected intricate vessels to the heart, like wiring up a car battery.)

Tasted smooth red wine, gently draining from the side of the glass without leaving a drop.

(They pumped him full of electricity and waited. )

Lights came on. And he felt it beating strong once again.

 

I met a man, who had his heart replaced;

He now dreams with eyes open,

Looking and living for them in the world.