You told me that they turned you into a machine
as you traced the small scar
that will never fade.
The curved edge of your pacemaker pressed
against the wall of your chest,
your skin wrapped tightly around the foreign object--
it’s your body’s way of disposing
the unwanted: exocytosis.

It anchored itself inside of you,
wires tangled with the tubes
reaching into your heart.
Messages are sent
through the series of wires
running through your circuit board chest.
Electric currents force
soft muscles to contract.

Your chest couldn’t hold anymore
impromptu performances
where the tempo of the thumping switched
from adagio to allegro.