I’m in the process of writing a sequence of poems about my heart op. Here is today’s effort.

AVR

He carried the murmur in his chest
as a boy climbing trees and football mad
as a teenage lover with his muted message
as a computer buff whose heart sang in binary
as an old man relaxing through the days
until his heart kicked off:
the murmur turned into a yell
then a scream
that took his breath away.

What you need is an aortic valve replacement
a Carpentier-Edwards Perimount Magna
the world’s most widely implanted tissue valve
built with bovine pericardial tissue
the tough tissue sac surrounding the heart of a cow.
It’s the first and only biomechanically engineered valve
designed specifically for the aortic position.
Proven exceptional durability for 20 years.

2 responses

  1. Love the contrast between the first and second stanzas. I wonder if you could lose ‘an aortic valve replacement’ in the first line of the second stanza as it comes in later?

  2. Thanks Robbie, I agree. Here’s a modified version.

    AVR

    He carried the murmur in his chest
    as a boy climbing trees and football mad
    as a teenage lover with his unheard message
    as a computer buff whose heart sang in binary
    as an old man relaxing through the days
    until his heart kicked off:
    the murmur turned into a yell
    then a scream
    that took his breath away.

    You need a Carpentier-Edwards Perimount Magna
    the world’s most widely implanted tissue valve
    built with bovine pericardial tissue
    the tough sac surrounding the heart of a cow.
    It’s the first and only biomechanically engineered valve
    designed specifically for the aortic position.
    Proven exceptional durability for 20 years.

Leave a Reply