When the heart is flawed,
scarred, expanding
& contracting
damaged
but still pumping
at times in erratic rhythms,
but then strong and steady again,
one may liken it to flowers blooming
through cracks, where a once enduring
strength is conjoined now with thorns.
.
When the heart is flawed,
there’s a tendency to
coddle the wounds,
(without fully knowing why)
recognizing (over time) that relating
with others is far less complicated
when it’s done from a distance;
for all wounded hearts relish
solitude and secure surroundings
.
When the heart is flawed,
damaged, struggling,
strong then weak,
lacking vitality
at times
like a flickering candle,
it can struggle to connect with
other people in meaningful ways
.
When the heart is flawed
you could liken it to a lantern
with cracked glass panes,
the hearts fire
still burns
only now its flame
flickers unevenly through the flaws;
notwithstanding being imperfect,
it still purposes to share its light
.
When the heart is flawed,
scarred, expanding
& contracting,
pulsing and beating
damaged but still pumping,
its deficiencies are not
necessarily a sign of
weakness, but
become more reflective
of a uniquely valued whole,
where life’s sundry imperfections
are woven together into
meaningful
personal expression.
.
When the heart is flawed,
one may see it as a beautiful
cracked vase repaired with gold,
not to restore it to its
original state, but to transform
it into something more lasting and giving,
something that turns brokenness into purpose,
and where each imperfection promises endurance…
.
© Richard Lloyd Cederberg
9/2026
A NEW RACE of HUMANS
The son of a friend of mine, was born with his heart upside down. The prognosis was that he would die in his teens. He had surgery to correct it and he is now in his 60s with a loving family and at the point where he has written his first novel.
It is a very simply written, tongue in cheek, satire of the zombie apocalypse genre. It has over 300 Amazon reviews. I believe his first novel is an outstanding success and the way that it ended, abruptly, begs a sequel.
Ron
Not Another Zombie Book by D.B. Randelia
Your thoughts on the heart have a thoughtful stillness to it. Your piece explores the heart in a way that feels contemplative and inward-looking. I can see how the imagery you chose reflects the way you think about brokenness and endurance. The brokenness doesn’t diminish the inner fire of the heart, but refracts it, through cracked lantern glass, through gold‑mended pottery, through blossoms rising defiantly from fissures. You remind us that imperfection is not a deficit but a that can turn wounds into character and fragility into a deeper kind of strength.