What Are Hearts Made Of

by John Herlihy

Of what are hearts made?

A question everyone should ask.

Let’s see where this can go.

Am I really up to the task?

 Hearts can be made of glass,

So fragile and ready to shatter.

Wishing to be made of brass,

Perhaps then they might really matter.

Hearts can be made of stone,

Sometimes hot and sometimes cold.

As solid as bleached bone,

Even when young already old.

Hearts can be made of wood,

As in the rooms in a home.

There I stand and ever stood,

On earth under heaven's dome.

Hearts can be made of fire,

Every emotion is a flame.

Hot embers burn as desire,

That’s what gives it its fame/

Hearts can be made of steel,

Determined forward looking firm.

Touch the heart to know it's real,

The one human faculty ready to burn.

Hearts can be made of clouds,

Roaming in a mist of unknowing.

At life's  end  wrapped in shrouds,

Lying at the edge of knowing.

Hearts can be made of gold,

Home grown in ways of mystery.

Kindness and compassion told,

With limitless value in its purity.

Hearts can be painted dark black,

Drawn from the palette of the night.

With evil intentions there in its sack,

Without any true suggestion of light.

Hearts can be made of light,

Shining forth into the world.

Dispelling the shadows of night,

Unveiling new worlds unfurled.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Saturday 11 October 2025