Hold My Breath

My heart is ticking
The clock, pulsing my breath
Tripped on my sadness
Injuring it's step
Now my mind is spinning
Mosaic of my truth
It's deep then shallow
The memory of my youth
Is chequered and aloof

At best I have a tentative grasp on my sanity
I hold my breath and escape my reality

I'm breathing slowly
To placate my woes
I'm knotted in them
In their columns and rows
My pulse, resisting
Too much to comprehend
I'm trapped and cornered
That room would not expand
This time does not extend

At best I have a tentative grasp on my sanity
I hold my breath and escape my reality

Let it flow through me
I'm told I have survived
I touched the body
In which I have arrived
Now I am dizzy
The dampness drowning me
Inhale and exhale
It's not involuntary
Remember not to flee

At best I have a tentative grasp on my sanity
I hold my breath and escape my reality

©2000 Deborah Hocking