The absent heartbeat
Kicks the alarm
Screams flip the switch
Charge
Blue lights spin like roulette
Brace Brace Brace
Clear
Jolt
Jerks
Jump a few centimeters
Collapse
Asystole Clear
Shock
Second jump, higher
A pulse
Peak; no valleys
The green wave gallops
The fat line flattens
Again, charge
Father? Confessor? Assessor? Professor?
If he ever wakes we’ll see if he knows
Third time odds down
I just shock them
Fate sorts them
Or God, they say
Jolt number three
Skipped pulses
One, two, a fourth
Electric life
We’ve got a heart!
What else is still present?
Brain? Gut? Mind? Soul?
We’ll ask later
There’s another case down the hall
When it’s time to die
Humans can’t wait to try
It’s easier for me
My heart’s become a machine