The Smallest Hearts

Little Architect, Natasha Hirt

I.            Mouse  

You run from owls and coyotes,
the rigorous bum-bum, bum-bum 

of the tiny bass drum 
rings through your marimba ribcage. 

Little rivers of blood and memories 
traveling, meandering 

through cracks in the bones, 
treading through snow 

as your toes and tail  
are dragged along.  


II.            Spider 

Huddling in the corner 
of a frost embroidered net, 

your hairy legs are curled in to protect 
the core. The powerhouse  

is slow and soft against your chest, 
kept quiet for the kill 

and capture. It spins in a web 
of its own, a graceful dance 

amidst falling leaves and giants 
who misinterpret your performance. 


III.            Worm 

The garden boasts pink peonies 
and red tulips because you 

swim in the dark dirt beneath them 
aimlessly driven by not one, 

not two, but five small machines 
each one with a steady beat 

enclosed in slimy flesh. The accordion 
pumps and pushes you up 

past the roots and into the sun, 
where you will shrivel under the rays.  


IV.            Wasp 

You carry sharp hums 
as you glide in the summer air.  

They come from your belly, 
a constant melody for the birds  

to disdain. As you land  
on the fallen, rotting oak tree, 

it slows to a staccato 
rhythm, and the fluttering of your  

wings sounds like crinkling paper 
wrapping around a glass trinket. 


About the Author

Maria Murphy · Central Michigan University

Maria Murphy is a graduate of Central Michigan University with a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Communication and Leadership with a Creative Writing Certificate. She currently lives in Grand Rapids, MI with her fiance working in a full time administrative job at a medical device packaging company, while writing on the side. “The Smallest Hearts” was previously published in Mochila Review.

About the Artist

Natasha Hirt · Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Natasha is a junior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she studies architecture and urban studies and planning. Her childhood in Hong Kong left her deeply inspired by the vivid ties between cities, people, and nature. In her art, she seeks to explore these connections, and in the process, highlight the surreal wonders of the world we all share. “Little Architect” first appeared in Rune.










No Comments

Leave a Reply