By Gala
Date: 21 December 2000
How To Still The Dancing Heart
First, find a likely subject---
one that can jette is your best bet,
but it will take special care
to teach a dancing heart the error of it's ways.
The temptation is to stomp it flat---
but that lacks finesse,
and some hearts will play dead,
then spring back when you're not looking.
No...first you draw the heart close
and while it's tapping or doing a tango
you explain that this dancing stuff---
it's really kind of lame.
Has no real value---
and you say it softly...but repeat it.
The heart will listen,
and even if it seems to be ignoring you,
it will hear.
After a while, it will dance more slowly,
falter in it's step,
lose the beat completely---
and have to start over, red faced.
Do this enough,
and the dancing heart may actually stop a few times,
wondering where it's music has gone.
The music is still there---but you've drowned it out,
and now the silly creature will panic---
it won't remember how to start---
and then you've got it.
A nice, tame heart
that has forgotten what it once did
as normally as breathing.
Every once in a while,
you will have to remind that heart
that dancing is just foolish---
something kids do,
but grown up hearts
give up that nonsense.
And if you're really really good,
that heart will never dance again.
The part that takes skill
is making it still,
but not killing it off.
Because really,
who cares if a dead heart
can't dance?
Back to the Heart-on-Sleeve Corner