Nathan Gunter is vox poetica‘s managing editor. Today—April 30, 2020—is his fifteenth anniversary with his husband Brian. His most recent poem to appear here was “The Gift” (January 2019).

Plushy Heart
By Nathan Gunter

A little stuffed human heart—
plushy, a child’s plaything—
beady black jewel eyes
over the left and right ventricles,
a smile pasted below.

It was fifteen dollars,
and proceeds benefit heart research,
the kind that saved your life.

The little face, its expression
weak and hopeful
the aorta like an antenna,
searching for a signal.

He’s a gruesome little guy, a bit gauche
but when I saw him in the gift shop,

I dunno—

I was touched
the way I’m touched
when you smile at me when I’m sad.

So I bought it for you,
this little stuffed human heart,
because you’ve given me yours—
flailing aorta and full of love.
And so I give you mine,
plushy and a little defeated-looking,
but full, so full, of hope.