COUNTING HEARTBEATS

They used to go one, two, three

And keep on going just like that

Four, five, six, seventy beats a minute

Now I don’t know 

Do I count the hiccups too 

Or just the beats 

Even the machines are confused

The heart stutters

But it goes on

Wounded

I used to be able to fix everything

Add a few vitamins, vegetables

A month or two of running and fasting

Good as new – or nearly so

A single year doesn’t show

But now I’m old

I look at young bodies moving and I’m amazed

They just keep on going