Heart

PROMPT ▼

Write a story or poem that is set in some sort of encampment or fort which is about to come (or is coming) under attack by overwhelming force.

She took the pieces of her broken heart
And stuck them together with glue
It was a clumsy effort, but it held
Grasping the fragility, she knew

She couldn't let it break again
It wouldn't stand any contact
So, she built a fortress around it
This heart, she would protect.

She built a wall of formal smiles
Of grace and politeness
But never again, warmth or love
No pathways to ingress.

And then she met him at a dance
And whilst they moved to the music
Something in her stirred again
She clamped it down, real quick.

No, no, she must not drop her guard
Letting someone in again
Her heart must be untouched
She could not face the pain

He sensed it - she was drawing back
Had he done something wrong?
Or was it just for this moment - maybe
She didn't like the song.

As he tried over the days
She continued to resist
Calls unanswered, doors closed
But - in love - he did persist.

Turned down again, yet again
He finally asked her why
And suddenly, in her tears
He had his reply.

As she sobbed on his shoulder
He said, "Let's make a fresh start
In exchange of the fragile one
Would you accept my stout heart?"

They exchanged hearts, and in time
They exchanged the forever-vow
The fortress has long melted
It isn't needed now.