The Sound of Life

I am a heart surgery survivor. This is a short poem I wrote recently about the heart. While it may not be directly related to heart surgery, it is something that has helped me deal with my situation.

Thump. Thump. Thump. 

The sound of the monitor mimicking the heartbeat of the newborn child. Showing each beat as a sharp incline up, then that same incline down, with a rest in between. Up. Down. Rest… Up. Down. Rest… Almost as if the machine is predicting the child's life before it even happens.

Thump. Thump. Thump. 

The feeling of the man’s heart as he watches his daughter say her vows. His chest, sharply inclining then contracting. He thinks back to standing in the hospital room watching his daughter life her first day on this earth. Watching the heartbeat monitor. The sharp incline up, then that same incline down. Up. Down. Rest… Up. Down. Rest… That is what it feels like watching his daughter. That is what he is experiencing.

Thump. Thump. Thump. 

The sound of the monitor mimicking the heartbeat of the old man. Showing each beat as a sharp incline up, then that same incline down, with a rest in between. Almost as if the machine is recollecting the old man’s life as it happened. Up. Down. Rest… Up. Down. Rest.

Thump. Thump. Thump. 

The sound of Earths heartbeat shaking the ground beneath your feet. Rattling up from your heels until it reaches your chest and echoes your own. As if the soul of the earth and the soul inside you are synchronized in perfect harmony.

Thump. Thump. Thump. 

The sound of a heartbeat. The average human experiences around 4,800 heartbeats per hour, 115,000 per day, 35 million per year, and around 2.5 billion in their lifetime. Each of those heartbeats is an expression of what life has to offer. Up. Down. Rest… Up. Down. Rest.

Thump. Thump. Thump.