Af Poem by Anthony Burge

Af



My hearts out of rhythm discord in its beat

Synchronism escapes as I march two left feet

A broken winged bird bent feathers her nest

as she tries to take flight from the hollow in my chest

The rhythm of lifeblood flows incoming tide

The ebb and the flow timed to rise and subside

A lunar eclipse darkened shadows the moon

And the symphony strikes up desperately out of tune

Under the pump the dominoes fall

As the cause and effect returns answer to call

Blood flow follows suite like an ill coursing river

Un-inflated lungs start to spasm and quiver

And so the machine misfires and splutters

As the heart skips a beat, double times and then stutters

Out of breath, out of time, out of all that made sense

my ride soon malfunctions and I’m on the bench

Shuffle priorities family comes first

I've unfinished business here on this earth

Need to be need to flee there is no escape

The damage is done hit reverse it’s too late

Drowning sub-surface it’s all crystal clear

Suffocating on purpose choking on cold fear

Coerced by science allowed for their version

Now seek saltwater healing its time for immersion

The broken winged bird returns to her nest

And the Morse coded rhythm beats on in my chest

POET'S NOTES ABOUT THE POEM
Penned during a stay in hospital (recovery ward of the Coronary Care Unit) after my third bout of cardio version in an attempt to revert my heart back into sinus rhythm. Feeling like I’ve been kicked in the chest by a Shire horse.“What doesn’t kill me only makes me stronger” well that’s what I tell myself…
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Anthony Burge

Anthony Burge

Australia
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