Hearts of Stone, a Poem by Mark James Trisko

Picture of a Stone Statue by WIX

I am flawed and imperfect

imbued with conflicting emotions

with extreme polarities in thought

my anxieties instill fear and my fear breeds anxiety

I spew anger in response to anger

I unveil bigotry in the presence of bigots

I justify hate speech as a solution to hate

I employ violence as a cure for violence

I have been radicalized by parochialism

insulating myself from thoughts that disagree

I see myself as unprejudiced and open-minded

but I vilify those that differ in thought

that are less human than I

and I cheer when my opposers receive pain or punishment

believing that it is righteously legitimized

due to their heinous thought crimes

I feel secure in the anonymity of my home

to reach out and spray noxious poison through the ether

and I weaponize my bladed words

flaying the skin of all that oppose me

but I cannot see the irony that I convey

when I sow anger and blatant dis-empathy

though no blood flows, my bitter sarcasm cuts as deep as a knife

that has been coated with pure sin

I have been carefully taught

to hate the thoughts of others with such zealousness

that their sins have been revisited upon me

and all the time I was unknowing

there will never be self-realization

for I could never be wrong

my chest is filled with a black heart of stone

unflinching and unfeeling

and yet, are we so different, you and I

we are both living spirits of the sacred flame

we must tear the hearts of stone from our chests

and replace them with hearts of holy flesh

---

When Mark James Trisko retired at the age of 68 from a lifelong career in Information Technology, he exchanged the logic of code for the lyricism of verse, embarking on a new chapter as a poet. His poetry explores themes of family, faith and personal transformation, and considers the challenges that arise later in life. His work has been featured in numerous esteemed literary magazines, including The Penwood Review, St. Katherine Review, Amethyst Review, Poetry Super Highway and Radix Magazine. A chapbook titled “Living Spirits of Flesh and Bone” was recently published by Moonstone Press. A native Minnesotan, he lives with his spouse of nearly fifty years, four children and eight grandchildren.