Heart to Heart

Rita Dove

18 pages 36-minute read

Rita Dove

Heart to Heart

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2004

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Character List

Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.

Major Characters

The speaker is an introspective individual trying to understand the complex nature of human emotion. They feel trapped by an inability to access or express their true desires, experiencing a deep disconnect between the logical, anatomical reality of a beating muscle and their own emotional longing. Seeking intimacy, they ultimately offer their locked heart and full self to another person, despite lacking the words to explain their feelings.

Key Relationships

Confessor to You

Supporting Characters

"You" is the unnamed second person in the poem, representing an intimate companion or love interest. The presence of this person shifts the poem from an internal meditation on anatomy into a direct emotional exchange. They serve as the necessary participant for the poem's titular candid conversation, receiving the speaker's unvarnished, vulnerable self.

Key Relationships

Recipient of affection from The Speaker