Arrhythmia

A strong beat,
the sound
of our hearts
beating together
from the moment
we first touched.
Two lives meant
to be entwined.
Then a miracle,
it seemed,
life conceived
where it had been
thought impossible.
That was
not to be,
as our daughter died
in the struggle
for your life.
The grim price
continued to compound,
for your body
never recovered fully,
nor did our hearts.
The beating grew faster,
more erratic,
as things
became bipolar.
Either really good
or horribly bad,
we swung
like a pendulum,
and your health
kept getting worse.
Two boys conceived,
both surviving,
but at a pyrrhic cost.
Permanent damage,
unable to be healed,
starting an inevitable
that descent into decay.
After several years
with this
as the status quo,
now our love's pulse
is thready,
erratic and fading,
and I know
the day is coming soon
when our love
will flatline,
beyond resuscitation.
And how will I
go on
with our children,
when you're gone?