Mein Herz

Mein Herz 

As columns that underpin my heart,

     my arteries flow and connect

     my lungs, material of atmosphere.

     Internal contrasts with external.

Lamps atop columns are spaced yards

     apart along the city's arteries

     where cars with hearts and lungs

speed past each other like creatures long

ago when there weren't cars or lights

at night, and people huddled in homes

     afraid of that night, afraid of others'

beating hearts, whose desires quickened

     or extinguished others' breath.

     Eternals contrast with internal.

[sonnet]