Oxytocin

I have stolen the corners of your lips, where they turn up,
And hidden them in the base of my brain.
You haven’t noticed yet, I’ve taken your flurrying fingertips
And stowed them under my marrow.

If you looked inside my ears
You’d find that anvil, from when I didn’t love you
And the hammer beats on it ringing tones when
“I can’t see you tonight”.

You used that fragile stirrup to climb back into my good graces
To slide down like a lozenge to my larynx
So every word is coloured by little fragments of you.
Your name is coughed up often, you see.

There are layers, of skin, tensions, muscles and unspoken words
But the half moon opens valves,
And will let warm things seep out to comfort you
When your hypothalamus sends your limbs skittering.

You are made of myelin, my dear, you are what they call
An accelerant.
















"Oxytocin is sometimes called the “love hormone” ; it is a brain chemical that is associated with pair bonding, between mothers and infants and also between males and females. It seems to play a role in social and repetitive behaviors."


i liked biology.


edit: its meant to be the fun part of this poem that you can look up the biological terms, see what they mean physically, then see how they fit in figuratively. I'll explain a couple to give you a taster:

-"Larynx"= technical term for the vocal chords or voice box
-"Half moon opens" = Semi Lunar Valves, found in the heart the control blood coming into and leaving from the heart