Volume 11, 2011
The Errant Heart
David C. Manfredi
chasing after palpitations
from scars within a weary chest
and smoke filled breaths
plucking vascular strings
rigid in their dissonance
hardened by reckless disregard
we snake a wire into its chamber
override its rebellious nature
quell the insurgent muscle
keep the uneasy peace
a device placed under the skin
senses its every peccadillo
commands obedience to its settings
jolting it back to reality
surveillance for flawed hearts . . .
all the same filled with longing
coping with sorrow
all in good rhythm
all in good perfusion
* This is the correct version of Dr. Manfredi's poem. Through a printing error, a few early copies of The Muse did not have this version. We regret the error.
