Freedom to Breathe

she said,
"go ahead, my love, breathe"
and he
looked at her
caught up his thinking,
"that is what I do not do…"
and he breathed…

she said,
"breathing is a freedom"
and he thought of that
and then of her,
and said
"it is what I do not have"
and he breathed….instead

~*~

I can never get away
from what it is they want
I can never lift my head
from their teasing taunts

all I want is some freedom
that, and sweet release
all I really want is time
and the freedom then to breathe…

~*~

he said,
"what is it that you want?"
and she looked at
him, thinking…
"away from your taunts,
away from the lies, and
all the evil ways,"
and she breathed, blinking…

he said
"let's get us back to then,
when everything was good"
as if his words would
wipe the past
as if his best of could
would come again, and release
the precious substance of her breathe…

~*~

she said in confidence
to her friend who paced,
"you really need some space
and be able to breathe again,"
her friend nodded,
and in three-quarter time,
she listened with confidence
and began breathing in her mind

her friend lightly laughed
his friend, he laughed too,
said together "we are one ~
why, look at the two of you…."
and the two of them
they turned and looked
from all that they were running from
wondering from where it had all begun

~*~

he looked at his past,
and wanted "away"
she looked at hers,
and said to him "stay"
he looked at her, and said
"I will"
she looked at him, and said
"until…"

he said "no, we are
one and one
as of here,
and now,"
she asked
"and can you tell
me,
please tell me, how?"

~*~

he said to her
"breathe with me"
and she listened
and breathed, mightily…
and drew him in
to her, in love
and looked upward
toward the sky above

said to him
"in your eyes
I breathe in more
than I can realize,"
he said to her
this is what can be,
and they both breathed,
more than ever, most steadily….

and reveled
in the freedom to breathe