Don't Take It to Heart

A poem about the pacemaker and the war I never wanted

Photo by Artam Hoomat on Unsplash (edited)

Don’t take it to heart,
my friends said.
It’s just a machine.

We will slide the needle in
and draw out blood.
We will set the rigs there
and draw out what we need.
Don’t take it to heart.

We will only cut it here
and take out what we must.
We will bomb there
and take out whom we must.
No need to take it to heart.

We will just place it in
and make your heart tick.
We will roll in the machines
and crush out lives.
No need to take it to heart.

We will stitch you up
and you will heal soon.
We will wipe them out
and say it was needed.
You mustn’t take it to heart.

You will get well;
the pacemaker will keep time.
We will get rich and monstrous;
no one will keep count.
You mustn’t take it to heart.

A machine in my chest,
a war I never wanted.
I take both to heart.

(The writer is a former journalist and communications professional.)