Your Little Heart

by Victoria Fenstermacher

They would preach

Preach you could do anything

Anything your little heart desired

And you believed them

Your little heart soared at the thought

Of all the paths you could choose from

And even when your heart grew

 You still believed them

You followed that heart of yours

You followed your dreams

And you were happy

And your heart danced and sang with pride

But then they changed

Their faces filled with worry

Their shoulders sagged with defeat

And they questioned you

Asked why you chose that path

Asked why you followed your heart

And you felt trapped

Trapped by their disappointed gazes

Trapped by their sighs and turned backs

Your heart would shake in its little cage

It would shake with the feeling of betrayal

It would shake with fear of being ignored

They used to preach to follow your heart

But that was when it was a little heart

And all the freedom in the world was yours

You became a disappointment to them

And your heart never stopped shaking

Because it could never feel little again

Victoria Fenstermacher is a first-year student with an intended nursing major and Spanish minor. Along with writing poems, Victoria also enjoys photography and music.