Wednesday, April 9, 2008

The Last Breath

Photo by Becca Baugher

When I die, I will let go of a breath I have been holding for a very long time.

The base of my neck will unknot, releasing my fear of error, criticism and failure.

My shoulders will relax, letting go of the fear for my children, for their safety, health and happiness.

My hands will unclench as I stop clinging to my possessions, those objects of use, nostalgia or monetary value that absorbed my attention, whose loss I daily feared.

The small of my back will lengthen, unfurl, finally free of the crippling anxiety of rejection.

My brow will smooth out as the unbearable tension of a world plagued with every kind of crisis no longer belongs to me.

My jaw will loosen, dropping to let fly all the angry, sad words I held onto year after year, the stream of letters will soar harmlessly up to the stars for their amusement, to be remixed as a satire of Life on Earth.

My lips will unpurse, widen into a smile of relief as the last puff of air escapes.

For now, I keep inhaling hope and desire -- the inspiration to continue to live fully with every breath I take.

2 comments:

foo said...

I don't even know what to say...

You made me feel myself unknot. You write beautifully and with purpose. You use words that I identify with immediately without all of the excessive fluff that so many who think they are good writers use. I felt like we were sitting together, old friends, and you were 'saying' it to me. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I feel every part of the tension in my body and for mostly the same reasons.

Well done!

Elena said...

I'm so glad to have had a small positive effect in your day! That's why I like to write, to connect with people across time and space and hopefully give them cause to ponder or know or just to feel something good and/or powerful. A large task for one puny individual, but it's something to shoot for, no?

Thanks again for reading and commenting!