"ClawHeart"
                                      by Robert Brown

The Claw.  The Heart.
These have been my symbols
For a very long time
Longer than I can even
Remember now
Standing for Evil
And for Good
And for the Battle that
Takes place inside every
Human Soul
I wore it proudly
To show that I understood
The Truth
And that I had
A Choice
And that I knew what my Choice
Was to be

I was not alone in my thinking
Others were drawn to me
Wishing to take on Hearts
Of their own
To show the world
What was important to them
Or who they truly were
Games, Fighting, Diving
Crystal, Beauty, Hiding
We were not afraid
To let our souls be seen

And perhaps that was the problem
My heart was so visible on my sleeve
Or rather my tummy
That I couldn't help but feel
More acutely than most
The pain of the world hurt me
But I bore it with a smile
As if by my hurting I could
Spare another that pain

But each pain left its mark
A Scar that never quite
Healed right
I didn't notice at first
So strong was my love
But slowly...gradually...
The Scars grew until
They could not be
Ignored
Hardening...stiffening...
Stealing what made me
Me

And now here I sit
The Claw is faded
The Heart is weak
And only the Scars remain
...
I have failed