Downhearted - Ada Limón

the heart wants her horses back

Several people have mentioned Ada Limón’s work to me, and I finally bought one of her books a little while back. I love the honesty and the conversational nature of her work. I hope you do too.

This one really resonates with me.

—

Downhearted
by Ada Limón in Bright Dead Things

Six horses died in a tractor-trailer fire.
There. That’s the hard part. I wanted
to tell you straight away so we could
grieve together. So many sad things,
that’s just one on a long recent list
that loops and elongates in the chest,
in the diaphragm, in the alveoli. What
is it they say, heartsick or downhearted?
I picture a heart lying on the floor
of the torso, pulling up the blankets
over its head, thinking this pain will
go on forever (even thought it won’t).
The heart is watching Lifetime movies
and wishing, and missing all the good
parts of her that she has forgotten.
The heart is so tired of beating
herself up, she wants to stop it still,
but also she wants the blood to return,
wants to bring in the thrill and wind of the ride,
the fast pull of life driving underneath her.
What the heart wants? The heart wants
her horses back.

—

I’d love to hear from you. I want to know what you think. Did you like this poem? Did any part of it resonate with you? Let me know.