The Vitality of Emotion (Poem)

I feel anxiety in my jaw 
And embarrassment behind my eyes and on the tips of my ears 
There is anger in my fingertips
And rage in my throat 
I hold lust in the palm of my hand 
And fear shakes my foundation, my very core
There is an inadequacy that shakes my legs 
And shame that hides in the crevice of my knees 
Happiness dances along the bottom of feet 
And joy on the tip of my nose that fills my cheeks 
Emptiness starts in my diaphragm and spreads out 
It encompasses my stomach first and then my lips
It steals my appetite and my voice in one fell swoop 
My chest is the only place that remains unaffected
My heart, however shrivels in its hollow cavern
It is the only place where I never feel anything at all
Just this grief that I carry with me every day
And the love that flows through every cell of skin 
The blood that pumps through my heart 
My vital signs of emotion 
A jagged line of which emotion should I be 
It ascends and crawls along the floor just like my heart 
So maybe it is all in my chest 

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