The Beat of My Heart

Without a word I slip out of bed
and a thousand conversations
run through my mind
as I walk barefoot across worn carpeting.

Two nights ago, I barely made it home
while driving through a deluge
and water on the roads.
I defied the warnings
and survived
as bolts of lightning laced the sky.

I was the storm.
I was the silence.

Now as the sun pokes through
a thin veil of clouds
the sense of nothingness I embrace.

I must admit a year ago I loved someone.
She said that she loved my humor
my new stories and poems
and there was so much to share.

Now she’s a memory lingering in my heart.

This is my life, I say when alone.
This is what I’ve made it
as I watch a shadow dance on the wall—
it can be anything.

My chest ached the other day
when I bore the weight of humanity
while working at a grocery store.
Customers and I talked and traded jokes
but as the day wore upon me 
I longed to be in my time and place.

A housemate downstairs
shuffles through the kitchen
while I sit in my loft and play with words
longing to say what’s never been said.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2025

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Dietrich Avatar
July 18, 2025 at 9:52 PM
I just love this. It is one of your best. A fave
Velasco Avatar
July 18, 2025 at 4:40 AM
A beautifully introspective poem, Mike. The quiet rhythm and honest reflections give it a deeply human feel. The contrast between storm and silence, connection and solitude, creates a gentle ache that lingers. “Longing to say what’s never been said” is a hauntingly perfect end.
Wolf Avatar
July 16, 2025 at 9:02 AM
"Heartbreak Hotel's" new address, Mike. Enjoyed this poem, as I do all of yours. Thanks, Gershon
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