Cardiac Arrest

The heart is loved best when
it’s stylized on paper
and not when found in three
fleshy dimensions, especially
when
found outside
the body,

when
it has true bilateral 
symmetry
and a fold down the middle
from when a child made it,
when
there is pink construction paper
involved,
perhaps a bit of lace,
certainly crayon lettering,
certainly a messy cut or two
that does nothing to harm its charm,

when it communicates a message of love
by its total being with no other function —

yes,
a heart is best when it is
symbolic, non-functional,
and not at all realistic,
real, 
broken,
or failed.