you think you know

at times things work as they should

falling smoothly

into their natural state

but sometimes

and more and more

these days

they fall out of place

I need to know why

I reach my hand under the cavity

a hollow chamber

don’t scream

open your chest

let the hand slip further

ten layers of skin

I slide my fingers

past the ribs and count my bones

all here,

no reason to dread

what is really fear?

the blood still flows

you’ll be okay

someday child, someday

I touch the tissue just under my lungs

a pumping muscle beats

I heard that word before

people describe it as a heart

describe the motion

stretch and expand

repeat

stretch and expand

stroke the matter

but careful, it feels

a purple heart shows its colors

too obvious to hide

it’s soft but wrong

damaged tissue likes to bleed

why is the floor all red?

remember about the lungs

rise and fall

again!

rise and fall

oxygen soothes the pain

the purple color infects my veins

but I have to stay strong

pick up those pieces

you know what this means

I tell myself a simple truth

about that once crimson flesh

that if it was blue, it would be too late

but the blood still flows

and the core still beats

because there ain't nothing wrong with purple

when you need to heal

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