I N H A L E:
she was life
and i felt her
everywhere

from the thump
of my heart
to the howl
of the haunting
wind and the
whispers of the
mother ocean

breathe in
her love
fill my
empty lungs

let her soul
course through
my thin veins
and let her
name become
my heart beat

E X H A L E:
and when i
shut my eyes
you were gone

filled to the brim
now ****** into
a gaping void

you single-handedly
painted my
nightmares with
the clawing presence
of your growing
absence

you took
my little lungs
the very ones
you breathe
life into

and the
promises you
engraved into
my ribs tangled
with the wind
when you
turned my bones
into ashes

i told my
wind pipes to
try harder to
inhale and breathe
but not even
my will can
bring air back
into them

and the heart
that once pulsated
your name like
a mantra
now cries
for your mercy
and your return

you were life
but you were
also the
death of me