Giving Blood Poem by Victoria Davis

Closed tight as my umbrella,
I move through the crowded train station
and out onto the busy campus
under cloud-darkened skies.
A girl descends the escalator as I rise,
refusing to touch the rail, her hand hovering
two inches above the black rubber;
fearing the invisible.

I wait my turn in the lab;
watch bright hot liquid leave my arm
carrying my heart's most intimate stories
into the waiting world without shame.
Crimson Merlot, red as love,
the droplets cry out, 'Grab the rail!
Commit to the ride! '
'Abandon your fear and listen to us,
for there are only so many beats
left in the score.'