Taking Breaths to Stay

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

For hands and lips that have never touched a cigarette, these lungs sure are blackened.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

I guess your hands - on their way to my heart - brushed over them and the fire I thought I felt on my skin and in my stomach charred my lungs instead.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

And now I feel quite sorry for the pair of abused little muscles getting crushed in my chest. They've no purpose anymore.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

I tore open my chest, removed as many ribs as I could to make space for my lungs to expand, grow, but nothing's working.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

As my heart sinks, the dead weight of yet another decimated muscle on top of my battered breathers makes it harder and harder yet.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

I'm drowning from the inside out.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Leaden lungs in the body of a child dragging what's left of me out to sea and heaven knows I can't swim.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

There's no picture left of shore because there's no oxygen in my brain and no oxygen in my lungs oh god I'm going going going gone.

Breathe in.

Breathe in.

Breathe in.

Breathe in.

Breathe...