Hearts can be sad and joyful, under a cloud or sunny skies. A heart can be open or closed. The region where I live, Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark, is described in other marketing tags. We overlap with Ireland’s Ancient East. We are at the head of the Shannon Blueway. Being so westerly, we are also on the fringes of the Atlantic Region. And now we have also been designated as part of Ireland’s Hidden Heartland. As taglines go, I think that is my personal favourite. But it also allowed me to contemplate the concept of heartland for poetry practice purposes.
Heartland
Shall I draw you a map?
Is there an app invented yet
that will lead you on your way
into this special place?
Where a sacred tree grows
that will show you your desire
in its shimmering glory,
that’s both shelter and fire,
rooted by stone no storm
can rock, yet still opens out
embracing the wind’s movement,
foliage shivering,
quickening as it meets
what the day and fate visits.
It remains open. If felled
or fallen, roots exposed,
its pulse interrupted,
stilled, an open hollow
in the ground is where spirit
hovers, always open.
Copyright 2019 Bee Smith
And a card drawn by Hannah Dugan, Sketches by Hannah on Facebook

Beautiful poetic words so well penned and the picture too is so apt with your poem. Too good.
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Thank you.
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Welcome
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