The Night My Heart Stopped 

Music: Chaconne from the Suite in E Flat By  Gustav Holst. Sequenced by George Pollen.

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Hear me read the poem as an MP3 file. Alpha List Animal Poems  Contents Home Copyright by Nicholas Gordon

The night my heart stopped I was sleeping with my wife In a tent at the edge of a wood.   The Earth spun and spun. Silent, in a cold sweat, I felt myself going under.   I crawled out of the tent, Careful not to wake my wife, And onto a chaise lounge.   Under the spinning stars My heart started and stopped, Started and stopped, started . . .   I lay where a path emerged From the wood, and along the path Came a large raccoon.   He walked over to me And raised himself up Not four feet from my eyes.   We stared at each other With focused understanding, Words without words,   Eyes beyond eyes, A giving and a taking That stilled my raucous heart.   Satisfied, he lowered Himself to the ground And turned toward the wood.   "Thank you, brother," I said, "Thank you." But he was gone, Slipped back into darkness.