Heart Beat

“Feel my heart beat,” she said.
“Here – give me your hand.”

“Put your ear to my chest,” she said.
“Wrap your hands like bracelets
around my wrists
and let my pulse work its way
into your bloodstream.”

I did as she instructed
and she told me
that every heart one day stills

and then she told me
we might not even know each other
by the time one of our hearts stop

and I close my eyes now, years later,
alone in this room
trying to remember

John Tustin’s poetry has appeared in many disparate literary journals since 2009. fritzware.com/johntustinpoetry contains links to his published poetry online.