The ebb and flow of breath
By Karly Rath
There are days when the waves wash over me
Drowning me in shivers and tears
Gasping for air does nothing
To ease my burning chest
Not knowing which way is up
I fight to get it back
The breathing
The in and the out
When the current smothers me I ache for the routine
The mundane
When the oxygen is mine again I remember
How it’s just like last time
I remember
How it’s just like the rise and fall of the ocean
I remember
How it always returns
My body remembers
How breathing comes and goes like the tide