By Aimee Mackovic

first place that understood me was Oz
land of misfits, land of ne'er do wells
away from a grey and white life
Oz knew how to fix my heart me
                                      I imagine 
        the doctor pulling off the mask
        his eyes saying a thousand things 
        before his lips muttered “tried”
        words we will hear swallow
        will live survive the rest of a lifetime
most girls lost themselves in the numb
blue and white of Dorothy, her dress, her dog
my salvation was the rusted Tinman
so soulful, only lacking a heart, and I knew 
he was kin
          she won't be able to run fast or far
          she won't do much
          she won't have any babies
          she'll be almost normal                
all she he wanted was a heart, to bear 
the beautiful weight of something so breakable

Copyright Mackovic 2017