i imagine the blood moving
shaking like a pedal drum being beaten for all its worth.
thump, thump, each beat an inch further
from the heart, an inch closer to the edges
of the body's natural environment.
external forces throw rhythm to the wind, my body
caught breathless and struggling to keep up:
there is suddenly such a great need
for blood in the body,
to feed the fingertips and
quench the famished cells of the skin,
and the veins scramble to keep up.
expansion, explosion of the pathways to shove
ever greater amounts of life through,
rhythm running off with consequence and building walls
of brick to make the platelets stumble.
each day is such a struggle,
each beat that comes in time such a surprise.