Work Text:
Breathe in
Through mouth, through nostrils
You take in the air, the life, the wisp of the winds,
The whisper of the world.
Ephemeral, untouchable, invisible, essential
Like life
So fragile, so strong, so lost, so gone.
Every gasp, every sigh, every choke, every yawn,
Every scream, every laugh, every cry, every shout,
Every breath is the body and the soul
Exhaled
Too sharp, too quick, too shallow, too fast,
Too slow, too little, too held, too caught,
Says your soul without speaking
Pull it in, suck it in, slobbery or silent,
A whirlwind in your mouth.
Let it go, in a rush or in a whistle,
The caress of life scented with your soul
A stained gift, a blessed curse
So
Hold it in, hold it tight, hold it close,
No more screaming, no more shouting,
No more crying, no more laughing,
No more
The world doesn’t want to hear
The world doesn’t want to feel
The world doesn’t want
So
Keep it there, tight in your chest
Let the noose of necklace rope
Tighten around your throat
Keep it in, keep it out,
Take no more from this world
And give yourself no more
Nothing shared with nothing
Return your breath to the ground.
But no breath is without brother
No air is without heir.
Every breath is another’s breath
Every breath is another’s soul.
The world breathes out
You breathe in
You breathe out
The world breathes in.
You are not your own
You are not alone
A shared world, a shared earth,
A shared air, a shared soul
So
Breathe out