The Heartist

You feel it in every sentence You wear it on your sleeve You paint with it, long strokes and curves You sing with shades of passion and You feel it shudder with every shadowy footfall echoing out of sight You counterfeit it and shout the news from rooftops You place it in a flag You write it into every verse You feel it beat with foreign rhythm You feel safe when it knows the key You colour phrases and it beats a rainbow in the roof of your mouth You pay with it for every botched line and dropped note You choose to paint your heart on your sleeve Your curse; to bear it for all to see