The Gilded Heart Poem by Orin MSH

As all the Heavens were a Bell,
And Being, but an Ear,
And I, and Silence, some strange Race,
Wrecked, solitary, here -
(Emily Dickinson - 1861)

I wanted only the gilded heart
That hung effortless from you, graceful
I wanted only the heart resplendent with jewels
That hung from your delicate neck, opulent
A rarity as the Arctic Summer, evanescent.
The dance of stars and planets along this cosmic parapet.
Where often, inebriated we gazed at the heavens
Gleaming with the shimmer of light; so gloriously lit
Blanketing the wilderness of night
Amplifying our worldly delights
O wild Light! O wild Light!

The gilded heart commands it all
The Prestige and wondrous repute before
The Fall from Grace that must implore
Futility of pride where vanity, immensurate, appall
Choirs of Angels, Seraphim and Saints
The band of Queer, Erratic and the Quaints
Through Heaven's Ramparts and Barricades
Where often, gin-soaked we gazed at the firmament
Enveloping our twice-afflicted sight
Magnifying our insufferable plight
O savage Light! O savage Light!

I wanted only the throbbing pulse
That beats rhythmic within your breast
I wanted only the thrumming sound
Dirt from clawing at the ground
And your soul howling at the abyss
The uneasy uncanny caterwaul
Of a jarring tune, a most dissonant call
As if the heavens were the strings of a lyre
Awakening the songs of celestial desires.
Where often, stupefied we gawked at the cosmos
Whose radiance lights the world on fire
Diminishing the enormity of the dark
Expunging the unsightly blight
O untamed Light! O untamed Light!

I want it without the trappings and embellishments
Without the pomp, ostentation and pageantry.
I want it pure, unadulterated, untouched
I want the gilded heart without the gilt
I want rapture without the guilt
An exuberant bloom that will never wilt
A galleon wrecked, silent at the bottom of the sea
A treasure that shall always remain solitary
A gloriously wondrous thing of beauty
That will always stay unswerving
That will always be with me.
For the gilded heart is She

And I, my silence, in strange ways,
Confined in beautiful solitude, here
All thoughts that has digressed;
All hearts though dispossessed
Will coalesce
& eventually adhere.


Orinako (15thJune 2022)