February 5: Poem for Our Baby, "The Tin Man's Heart," Vote

One night, when my daughter was a baby, my wife told me that I needed to write a poem for her.

This is what I came up with.  My wife never asked me to write a poem for our daughter again . . .

The Tin Man's Heart

by:  Martin Achatz

The Wizard gave the Tin Man
A heart with a clock
That unwound after sundown,
Hands slowing at midnight
In the dark bed of his chest,
Each second an immense field of poppies,
Fragrant as Dorothy's thick braids.

In the forest under the stars,
The Tin Man listened to his heart tick,
Like the sound of lovers kissing,
Waiting for his spring to uncoil,
Praying for that moment:
He and Dorothy in the poppies,
The sun on their gleaming bodies.

Please vote for Saint Marty (Marty Achatz) for 2019/2020 Poet Laureate of the U. P. at the link below:

Vote for 2019/2020 Poet Laureate of the U. P.