In silent corridors of flesh, Where rivers of life once freely flowed, A stealthy shadow starts to mesh, And harden paths where blood bestowed.
Arteriosclerosis takes its hold, A tale of arteries turned cold, Their supple dance, now stark and old, A rigid song of ages told.
Plaques of fat and cholesterols blend, In atherosclerosis' blend, A murky wall where pulses wend, And life's sweet currents slow and bend.
In smaller veins, arterioles shrink, Their fragile walls begin to brink, With each harsh beat, with each heart's drink, They stiffen more than we might think.
Monckeberg's touch, a stony plight, Calcium deposits gleaming white, Within the muscle's darkened night, They steal away the vessel's light.
Causes hide in daily strife, High pressure, fats, the smoker's knife, Diabetes' lingering life, Inflammation's silent fife.
Aging's hand, genetics' sway, Poor choices make the heart's way fray, A sedentary life's array, The price of health, too high to pay.
Symptoms lurk in shadows deep, Silent whispers, heart's own keep, Till pain or breathlessness does seep, Or fatigue takes us in its sweep.
Danger waits in this disarray, Heart attack or stroke's dark day, Peripheral pains that lead astray, Or kidneys failing on the way.
To diagnose, we seek to see, In blood and scans, the arteries, A story told in mystery, Of hardened paths and what might be.
To treat, we strive for change within, Healthy habits to begin, Medications to win, And sometimes, surgery’s thin spin.
Prevention is our golden key, A life that's active, eating free, Of fats and smokes and lethargy, A vigilant and mindful plea.
In every beat, in every breath, We stave away the shadow's death, With choices made in life's bequeath, To keep our arteries' flowing depth.
