your heart, find it

Open yourself up. 

Start from right below the collarbone. Slice cleanly, all the way down to the vulnerable flesh of the stomach. 

 Stop before the hip bone. 

 See yourself? All of it, the writhing mass of flesh, 

 Of bone, 

 Of meat. That's you. 

 Drag a finger through it. Wipe it off on your arm. 

Are you ready? Use your trembling hand to hold your heart. 

 Let its shape fill your waiting hand. Listen to what it tells you, what it's saying. How it pleads, where it's going. 

 Set it back down. Take a needle and thread. Start stitching yourself back up. Start from the bottom and work your way to the top. Careful of the insides. 

 Take a washcloth. Wipe off the blood. Take a deep breath. Start a new day. Carry yourself through it, all of you. And don't forget what lays inside of you, always.