POEMS POEMS #8

One Heart
by Li-Young Lee

Look at the bird. Even flying
is born

out of nothing. The first sky
is inside you, open

at either end of day.
The work of wings

was always freedom, fastening
one heart to every falling thing.

This poem is so crazy. At first glance it seems that the main event of the poem is the bird, then perhaps the wings, and then again freedom, then the one heart, and then perhaps wings again. The title of the poem is “One Heart”, but I feel that the main idea of the poem is the wings. The wings are what give the “one heart” the “freedom” to fly. It is “fastening” itself on to every “falling thing”. This poem is very well written. The structure of the poem is quite interesting. The poem can be read in different ways and the punctuation helps the poems move or stop. But when read from period to period the poem flows beautifully through its awkwardly-shaped stanzas.