Frieda Kahlo To Marty McConnell

I subscribe to The Elephant Journal. I get their stuff emailed directly to me. It is some of the best "live a mindful life" ish out there. Yesterday's (9/30/16) treasure trove came with a poem crafted by Marty McConnell. The poem was inside of a post by Crystal Jackson "Take a Lover who looks at You like Maybe You are Magic". ~ (Not) Frieda Kahlo. In her post she discovered an often attributed quote to the fabulous Kahlo was not indeed hers. It was a line from a poem written by Marty McConnell.

As lover of fine poetry... this poem is sublime. So here it is. I hope they don't mind that I posted it here!

Frieda Kahlo To Marty McConnell
by Marty McConnell

Leaving is not hard enough; you must
stay gone. train your heart
like a dog, change the locks
even on the house he's never
visited. you lucky lucky girl
you have an apartment
just your size. a bathtub
full of tea. the heart the size
of Arizona, but not nearly
so arid. don't wish away
your cracked past, your
crooked toes, your problems
are papier mache puppets
you made or bought because the vendor
at the market was so compelling you just
had to have them. you had to have him.
and you did. and now you pull down
the bridge between your houses.
you make him call before
he visits. you take a lover
for granted, you take
a lover who looks at you
like maybe you are magic. make
the first bottle you consume
in this place a relic. place it
on whatever alter you fashion
with a knife and five cranberries.
don't lose too much weight
stupid girls are always trying
to disappear as revenge. and you
are not stupid. you loved a man
with more hands than a parade
of beggars, and here you stand. heart
like a four poster bed. heart like a canvas.
heart leaking something so strong
they can smell it in the street.