I am not hiding to deceive, But some wild roots must believe That if they surface to the air, The light will find them too unfair.
You see the fortress; I know the crack. You see the going; I feel the lack. You hear the river; I know the stone That sits at the bottom, cold and alone.
In the vast landscape of contemporary poetry, where bold declarations and loud imagery often dominate, there exists a quieter, more delicate sub-genre: the poetry of introspection. Few modern pieces capture this intimate introspection as poignantly as Julia Rawlinson’s beloved work, "The Hidden Heart of Me." the hidden heart of me poem by julia rawlinson
The phrase "where I lie" is deliberately ambiguous. It can mean "where I am located" or "where I am untruthful." Rawlinson plays with this duality throughout the poem, suggesting that hiding parts of ourselves feels like a beautiful deception, even when we know it is survival. In the second stanza, Rawlinson introduces a radical idea: that external tools cannot map internal reality. "No map is drawn" challenges the modern obsession with personality tests and psychological profiling. "No needle points to where I’m born" rejects the idea that our origin fully explains our present.
And when you find it, if you dare, Speak softly to the shadow there. For hidden things are not a lie; They are the reasons why I try. 1. The Concealed Landscape The most dominant metaphor in the poem is that of geography. Rawlinson transforms the human psyche into a "country" (line 4). This is a powerful choice. Countries have borders, internal climates, and histories. By referring to her inner self as a nation, she legitimizes its complexity. It is not merely a "mood" or a "feeling"—it is a sovereign territory with its own rules. I am not hiding to deceive, But some
So if you ask me what I feel, Know that the answer is not real. The true reply is slow to start— It is the hidden heart of me.
While Julia Rawlinson is best known globally for her children’s classic Fletcher the Fox (often titled Ferdinand Fox and the Lost Voice in some markets), her foray into lyrical poetry for adults and older readers reveals a depth that surprises many fans. "The Hidden Heart of Me" stands as a cornerstone of her more personal oeuvre—a poem that functions as a map to the human soul. You hear the river; I know the stone
When it was eventually shared via a small literary journal in the UK, the response was immediate and overwhelming. Readers began quoting lines back to her in letters, using the poem at weddings, funerals, and therapy sessions. Why? Because "The Hidden Heart of Me" gave language to the universal feeling of possessing an interior world that no one else can fully access. Before we analyze the mechanics, let us read the poem in its entirety: The Hidden Heart of Me By Julia Rawlinson