Heart
A heat,
The hearth, the earth.
The beat, the throb, the pulse, the purring engine
Deep within.
The depth, the soul, the core, the strength, the sinew.
The link, the chain, the tie,
The common thread.

Buried deep and barnacled with age or pain , but pulsating still.
Or worn upon the sleeve and open to the elements.
A warm heart giving
Heat, glowing for all
To  share its glow
And swelling in the reflected light of others' glimmer.

A cold heart
Buried deep
Among layers of
Preconceptions, pride
And fear
And shivering in solitude;
Exhausted by its tremors.

A broken heart
Bruised and tender, tending itself
And fending off invaders;
Encased in plaster while the fracture heals
And beating
With a gentler rhythm while the healing
Radiates.

A common core
An essence
That recognises itself in others;
A link
A shared experience
A common aim.