The Trajectory of Trauma Therapy as
a Series of Haiku
Megan Munger
I draw two jagged
lines, an EKG reading—
my first two decades.
I dissect atriums,
I open my chest cavity
to find slower beats.
I write to stop
arrythmia. Every line
unblocks arteries.
Questionnaires ask
about nightmares, I circle
severe. A mental
illness requires
work to keep dormant—
check-ins, exercise.
My brain is an organ
to repair my misfiring
heart. I talk and try.
I draw two hills
softer, more parallel lines.
Less jagged, my new
ventricles pump
afraid of asystole,
hungry for heartbeat.
Megan Munger is a Kansas poet and writer. She received her M.A. and B.S.Ed. in English from Pittsburg State University. She currently resides in Junction City, KS, where she teaches English at Junction City High School. Her poetry has previously appeared online at The Coop: A Poetry Cooperative.