Heart attack...

you mention the strength of my back
trace the curves of my
shoulders with your fingers.
you speak of the past and
how it wrestled with our hearts,
how they came out mangled
yet fiercer than before.

in the face of danger
i would fight off the wildest animal
if its glare met yours.
i have no doubt that, for you, i can be strong.
the fear lies in losing you.
that what is under the sinew and bone
of this back is a network of veins
pumping blood through my ribcage to my heart.
that what has been mangled before
can be mangled again.
that the wild animal would
tear this body to shreds.
loss defeating love.