A haibun for the dVerse Monday haibun prompt, “heart“:
Ba-doonk-a-doonk, Ba-doonk-a-doonk. Eight-thirty p.m. and my phone alarm is flashing “take meds”.
The tablet snaps in the cutter, and the two halves fall neatly apart: two 25mg doses of atenolol. There is a satisfying definiteness to that snap, a decisive counting out and finalising of the days with this miniature guillotine. (I am always tempted to run my thumb along the little razor blade to test its sharpness, but I do not. At least, I have not so far.) It clicks down SNAP! and another day is gone, decapitated, and dropped into the little plastic box below the blade.
I am no longer measuring out my life with coffee spoons – I am not allowed caffeine anymore – but with half-tablets of heart medication.
The rabbit is tamed:
it twitches rather than kicks
and plods tortoise-paced.
(or:
My heart no longer
skips a beat when I see you
(if I take my meds).
)
anotherKate 
The tortoise won out in the end, if I recall it right
😀 I believe so.
I love how you take the seriousness of this and locate it in ritual and the passage of time. Your humour too comes through in teh haiku.
Thanks Paul ❤
Very welcome Kate 🙂
the hare was bugs
the tortoise cecil
hu yup
It was Cecil too! 😀 ❤
Did you look it up or did you remember?
i remember
🙂 I remember the cartoon but had to google to check that it was indeed Cecil.
Haha, just love the second one 🙂
Thank you 😀
A good friend was having a bunch of cardiac tests at about the same time I was, so there were a lot of jokes about racing hearts and skipping beats for a while there. see https://anotherkatewilson.wordpress.com/2022/05/30/two-strong-hearts/ 🙂
Thanks 💞