Ischemia

Letter Seventeen

They told me where to sit and stay
So that’s what I became
The room behaved exactly right
And I did the same

Nothing pressed, nothing pulled
No one asked me to decide
I stayed where circulation ends
And nothing else applied

I do the parts that need to work
And keep the rest on hold
I hit the marks, I keep my place
I do what I am told

The body keeps its own advice
It doesn’t ask the head
I follow through on every step
And leave the rest unsaid

I don’t feel it when it goes
I just notice what remains
Hold it all together still
Even if it’s not the same

Ischemia, you cut the signal flow
Everything still looks like it should go
Nothing fails in any real way
I just feel it less and less every day

The color left my fingertips
The silence filled the air
You said you’d wait beside my bed
But you were never there

There’s nothing left but memories
To echo in my brain
Hoping I can feel again
I hope you feel the same

Ischemia, you cut the signal flow
Everything still looks like it should go
Nothing fails in any real way
I just feel it less and less every day

Ischemia, you cut the signal flow
Still pretending everything can go
Failing in a very real way
Living with it each and every day

Ischemia, you cut the signal flow