She explains that The Lives of The Heart are many, and in some ways different, but in the same respect are relative to one another. The heart can be found within both our environment, and ourselves, whether spoken as, " Green tunnels of horse-tail Reed" or " shuffle; snort, cry out in passion" the heart experiences and is felt through every element of life. Hirshfield closes her poem with describing how everyone is subjected to the indifferent ways of the heart;.
Not one is held in the arms of the rest, to blossom.
Not one is not given to ecstasy's lions.
Not one does not grieve.
Each of them opens and closes, closes and opens.
The heavy gate-violent, serene, consenting, suffering it all (3).
In these lines, she expresses her collective ideas that interpret the meaning and significance of her volume in its entirety, the thought that every person is left to carry the slaughter of their life. Not one can be salvaged from the suffering and joy that is felt when the vulnerable heart is left open, or is trained to close off and shut out the uncertain. Everyone's heart is "( ) serene, consenting, suffering it all."(3), whether it is recognized or not.
The next poem that I chose from Hirshfield's volume is, Of Durable Kindness. The poem begins with this opening stanza," Not the saint / transfixed / at the painting's center, / but the face / of a boy half blocked / by his mothers shoulder " (46). In these lines, Hirshfield is emphasizing the importance of protection, nurture and the base for which the heart is built on. The young boy will grow and mature, but his heart will become strong through the love and protection of his mother. In the next stanza's Hirshfield writes, " Not that huge gate swung open, / but the pin of the hinge / The intricate / carved stones placed inside / the chimneys"(46). Humans need to be supported and protected by their loved ones just as a gate cannot swing open without the support of its hinge.
