Takotsubo

noun: ‘Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy: also called broken heart syndrome, a condition where the heart muscle becomes suddenly weakened. It occurs in response to a physical or emotional stress, such as the loss of a loved one. The left ventricle, one of the heart’s chambers, gets larger and changes shape. This means this part of the heart doesn’t pump blood to the rest of the body as well as it should. ‘Takotsubo’ means ‘octopus pot’ in Japanese, as the left ventricle of the heart changes into a similar shape as the pot’.

 

A broken heart

Changes shape

Its chamber becomes

A trap to cage

A monster who is misunderstood

 

And heart break is a slow killer

And grief makes your body weaker

As you pretend that you are strong

When you know you never let go

But held on for as long as you could

 

The sides cannot hold

The monster it controlled

The damage is done

The structure has become

The symptom not the cause

Of a pain far worse

Than any other loss

 

And each breath gets short

And life gets caught

In the balance of body and mind

And heart break is loudest in

Silence that follows

A world crashing down

To the ground

 

A broken heart

Changes shape

What you feel is real

Whether you call it cardiomyopathy

Or heart ache that can heal