In the desert

In the desert

by Stephen Crane

In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
Who, squatting upon the ground,
Held his heart in his hand,
And ate of it.
I said, "Is it good, friend?"
"It is bitter--bitter," he answered;

"But I like it
"Because it is bitter,
And because it is my heart."

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And inspired by In the desert:

Of all the dreams
we could've had,
you picked the one
in which this heart
was shred to blooded strips
by your bestial claws.