heart palpitations

A poem about heart palpitations. The first poem I'm adding because it's the one I have with me right now.

poisoned chest from stress and smoking

heart trying to escape

pounding pounding pouncing

against fractured sternum

skipping for names or faces or caffeine

battering down a wall of cracked bone

wants to break free of thick arteries

holding heart down in terror

of external screams and internal fire

heart trying to escape

no more blood in veins

just sawdust and ice

suffocation strain strain

vicious strain of incurable conflict

hardening vessels

heart trying to escape

heart trying to escape

there is no escape without bloodstains

there is no escape without evisceration

there is no escape

Reviews

[Erin Was Here.]

I like this. Your words are powerful and full of emotion.
Your last stanza is especially good:

"heart trying to escape

there is no escape without bloodstains

there is no escape without evisceration

there is no escape"

Nice poem.

[bellastella]

Like I said, I like the repetition, it makes it more frantic. I enjoy the imagery of a pouncing heart locked behind a sternum. hmmm... for some reason
"wants to break free of thick arteries

holding heart down in terror"

the Holding heart down part sounds slightly awkward... I think it's because when I re-read differently than I read it the first time.