I'm here

My heart in pieces
In velvet lined boxes
Spread far and wide
Still beats


I hear it at night
When the power goes out
When the fan goes silent
And it pounds in my ears
I'm here
I'm here
I'm here


I resent its resilience
Its tacit refusal to stop
But it's been some time
Since I lay alone in silence
Hating it


Yet I still feel it
The increase of fear pricking the back of my neck
The decrease of another disappointment
Beats lost to a foolish investment
Aching in the hollow space beneath my ribs


I wonder if its guardians hear it
Thudding on mantels
In closets
Threatening to throw the clasp
Leap back to itself
To me


I ask why it persists
An answer never provided
Except for the insistent
I'm here
I'm here
I'm here