I woke this morning and felt my heart
Fly straight out my shocked chest
Watched it floating two feet away
One artery-vein invading ribs
Jiggering when I jumped
If I moved too fast might those vessels snap?
I touched my breastbone
No thump, no tap
Chest hairs sprang out like rifles
What have I done to hurt you? I asked
I can be thoughtless, impatient
Egotistical and frightened
But I have only wanted this one heart
If I loved another she should know mine
So the two of us might beat in rhyme
At least some of the time
Did my heart move a millimeter?
What kept it aloft was not of this Earth
My bedroom not in orbit
Yet even floating there
My heart felt slow
Then I spoke of what I’d done
Tried and failed and failed again
What I’d attempt if I had more time
My heart twitched then stood to attention
No eyes, but I felt its stare
Angry and condemning
I began to speak like some wild man
How I loved my heart more than I knew
Raced when I was distressed
Quieted when I needed rest
I loved living and loved my heart
Abruptly my heart rolled back on itself
End over end, tripping and vaulting
Turning transparent as it slipped in my chest
I have never been more terrified than when it came home
There’s not much time to figure this all out
What must I do to be worthy of this life?
What must I do?