I breathe
I breathe into the icy cold of winter,
The skin-tingling freeze of early morning cold showers,
deeply and fully, down into my belly
I breathe into accepting my final fate of death,
Always close, just behind my shoulder. Closer now.
I breathe without fear into a future I can
But barely control, a present that slip-slides from my grasp,
A past that can never be altered, only accepted.
I breathe into a world that,
But for a few friends and my creed,
Cares not the faintest fuck for me
I inhale its indifference and
Sigh out its pain, this era of greed
Squeezing the last cent from misery
With my breath I accept
Pain, aging, sickness, frailty
There’s no way past or around them
I’ll pass like ash, the wind
I breathe into the sunrise
The hope that accompanies it
A million songs from a thousand distant radio stations
Steady breaths now, accepting my
Blunt imagination, my misty path forward,
Is it me that’s lost, or suddenly, all of us?
Mundane footsteps, wilting desire
Soaking up stories on the evening screen
I’ve lived a thousand others’ lives
Wrinkled wisdoms, wasted insight
I breathe into my new work-bot self
Tasks pile on top of me, I must remain calm
What’s there to do out there anyway?
The whole world is on hold, catching its breath
When I cough, is it a portent of my death?
I breathe into a mask that fogs my face
A gesture to say I care, I obey
Caution or fear? Caution, and fear?
There’s way too much confusion here
I breathe to stoke the fire in my chest
Kindled with my very first breath