Artwork by Krista C. Graham, Pretty in Pink, watercolor and pen

Death and Jogging
​When a person with a pacemaker dies and is cremated, they have to cut out the pacemaker so that it doesn’t explode in the oven
This occurs to me every time I attempt to go jogging in the morning
I put on sweat pants, sports bra, sunblock, running shoes, deodorant, a headband and strap a pedometer to my ankle like I was under house arrest
I sprint for two blocks and my entire body starts shuddering, engine overheated and saying oh no you don’t
I’ve never been much of a runner
But when I think about all the still hearts that must have popped like fireworks before they figured out how to remove the offending mechanism
My fleeing instinct takes over
And I hit the pavement hard but briefly
I give up at the first taste of blood
Goldaline Verdi was born in Tuscany, Italy but grew up in Wisconsin. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and her cats and her piano.
past, Chad M. Horn                                                                                                                                                                                                    next, Mercedes Lawry