The plane shudders when we brush through turbulence

The plane shudders when we brush through turbulence
As my heart quivers kneeling at your feet.
I grip my seat, feel the metal scraps thrash against
Skeleton like a shed shell and surely this would not happen
If this body is all flesh and sinews and gnashing like living

— a bird, naturally aerodynamic. This movement
Would not be foreign, and I would not feel the cage
Heave around me, rehearsing for the shattering. Pain
And love wrack my bones so nervous they jump from me.
I am about to fall apart holding my rib cage together
Against my heart, rattling away like a baby toy
Hoping you would pick me.