Kylie Commons

My nerves are all frantic, lost, and scared
They squirm like worms on wet pavement
I’ll spare them of this fear
Inanimate them
Strings, I’ll make them
Tie them to this hummingbird heart
Give them purpose
Make it work less
Pull it, hold it
Every thousand beats
Force it to pulse like a human being’s
Were you to see it now, you would not say
This is a human being’s display
My heart beats out my chest, attached to veins
The hummingbird, tethered, attempts to fly away
Despite my wish to never feel it again
The flap of the wing, the beak’s sharp press
I clutch my chest and hold it, still
And relish in its overflow, its all-encompassing spill