Thanatophobia

Every couple years,

my stomach is crushed by

the weight of my heart.

Fears greater than gravity

plunge into my nape, and

trickle down my spine until

each nerve fiber

stings my mind.

I know you feel it too.

Mortal thoughts will cling

to your ribs

like static, and you will be filled

with what you are not, as

failed fibrillations in your gut

stutter

like a man before he is shot.