The Heart's New Rhythm

my eyes are a conduit to my heart
only a knife's length apart.
so my heart squeezes around cold metal
twisting its way up to my throat
too naive to stop for sharp edges.

suddenly every electrical impulse pauses.

one, two, three...the seconds pass single file
but frozen together, only one indistinct moment in my anguished mind.
i close my eyes, but my mind is another computer screen
its images just as brilliant.

i am forced to breathe.
a rapid, a brief inspiration. 
my new weary heart beats again.
reluctant. and slower than before.