Always waiting for the next breath
that fills my lungs, fills
this hollowness that sits
at the end of each exhale.

Holding
and releasing.

It's all part of The Long Wait:
the train platforms, bus stops,
the red lights, traffic,
the weekdays, happy hours,
the grocery store aisles and lines...
the first breath, this very breath,
and the next half a billion or so.