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Visual interpretation of "To shape your heart": When you leave home for the first time,; Someone might recognize you by

No. 015

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October 14, 2024·16 lines·1 min read

To shape your heart

How you solve a problem.

When you leave home for the first time, Someone might recognize you by The sound of your voice, the way you wear your clothes, How you solve a problem. You may wish to shed that skin, start fresh, But hold tight, that secret safe inside your soul. Dance to the old rhythm of the streets— The rush of the subways, the hiss of the buses. Close your eyes, and imagine the stories Behind each window of the buildings you grew up in, Soaring into the sky at night, like flickering eyes Ascending to heaven. The deepest creativity comes from what you did not control, But learned to mold, to shape your heart.

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Hear the poem in one breath.

A studio reading for the archive, voiced with care and restraint.

Studio reading
To shape your heart0:00 / 0:46

Watch the poem move.

Some pieces also live in motion. This film belongs to the same poem, not as a replacement for the page, but as another way into it.

Archive entry 64·50s·7 likes·0 comments

Film by @rosiezopfi

Part of a living collection since September 2024.

A way further in

Not the final meaning. Just a closer read, a better question, and a few nearby poems worth opening next.

Listen for what the poem handles gently. That is usually where its real weight is.

Opening line

Where the door opens.

When you leave home for the first time,

Center line

Where the temperature changes.

The rush of the subways, the hiss of the buses.

Leaving line

The line to carry out with you.

But learned to mold, to shape your heart.

If you came here carrying something

If you need something soft without it being weak, this is the shelf to open first.

LoveSelfhoodBody

A good place to begin when you want language that can soothe without lying.

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If this one stayed with you, keep it. Then either leave a note, keep moving through the archive, or ask the Studio where to go next.

Notes for Collection No. 15

A guestbook for the poem itself. Leave a response, an image prompt, or an image link if it belongs in the same room.

When you leave home for the first time,

A good note starts where the poem stayed with you.

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Every note becomes part of the room's memory.

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The reading room

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