i felt a throbbing ache in my chest last fall
after counting heartthrobs and ribs
after eating my weight in chips
i sigh at last and the doctor i call

she asks if i’ve been outside lately
before sunsets and rainstorms
before ravens pick out lost worms
she smiles and waves me out gently

stomach now rumbling, legs twitch
sleep has been lost over this terrible perhaps
have i gone mad? in judgement a lapse?
weeks now spend breathing my itch

one night it came to me at last
between nightmares and sweating
between flutters i’ve been getting
this pain one day too will pass