Marauder of the Heart

They may have wanted to dive into my soul,

but not make the plunge

into my ocean of conflict and pain.

I promised myself never to love again.

I built a fortress around my heart,

a master of fabrication— went up fast,

to keep them and theirs at arm's length,

vulnerabilities tucked away

in the closet of my ka,

a safe harbor where no one can dock.

Don't call, the number you’re trying to reach—

disconnected, no longer in service.

And then one day,

a smile that melted the castle

palisades as fast as the pirate,

Black Jack Smatt, too clever to be captured,

ensnared my heart.

Jack be nimble, Jack be quick.

Jack jumped over my crumbling parapets,

untethered a haven long lost in ramparts.