These are poems from the book the messy middle. Do you want to read the whole book? Go to ⁠messy-middle.com⁠

Hearts cannot break        

Before we begin, let me remind you of something I know to be true.

hearts can not break

only the shielded heart

shatters into pieces

the heart inside is soft and whole

you think your heart is broken

it’s just broken open

leaving your heart unshielded

every heartbreak is an invitation

to meet your raw open heart

to expand into softness

the opening of the heart

is the softening of the shell

slowly losing its protection.

but sometimes 

all at once

it cracks wide open

shieldless