Category Archives: Sarah E. Alderman

DRUMLINES

This is where my heart will stop beating
Filled, fuller now
With distorted sounds, echoes, fragments of memory
And all this time I thought it was useless
Muscle pounding out drumlines and the uneven tempo
Of the broken, empty, hollow
Behind my ribs, but I could never tell
If when it quits, if I would stop
Forget everything for a single, simple, sacred moment
Gain perspective, clarity, humanity,
A will to stay alive
To erase, reboot, restart, begin again
But the only problem with new beginnings
Is I never know
When they will end
The erratic pulse
The jerking, unsteady, rapid rhythm
Of such an unfaithful organ
Unreliable melody, irresponsible lover
Serenading blood to collect
And pool
Deceive, drown, destroy
The god of all vessels
The mother of all skin, sinew, synapse
This is where my heart stops beating
The trick is knowing when it’s over