Thief
You took my index finger
and showed me where to go.
My thumb you painted green.
What do you want to grow?
My elbow helps you move
across a crowded room.
But why’d you take my mouth?
What will you say, to whom?
You swept my feet away
and left them in the cold.
You told me, “Break a leg!”
And I did as I was told.
You even took my rib
to help you make a start.
But worst of all, you took
my heart, my heart, my heart.
Andrew Shields lives in Basel, Switzerland. His collection of poems Thomas Hardy Listens to Louis Armstrong was published by Eyewear in June 2015. His band Human Shields released the album Somebody’s Hometown in 2015 and the EP Défense de jouer in 2016.