Breathe

I barely sleep,

Or I sleep for hours.

I submerge in the warmth of dreams

Or wake up in the sweat of horrors.

Is my heart unsettled?

Or is it my soul?

My grasp is fleeting,

My hands are cold.

The specter of fear stifling the spirit,

Separating moth from light.

I am tired, I am exhausted

Keeping myself alive;

Holding my breath,

Submerged in the bottom of the water.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — -

O my heart, sweet and frail,

Keep strength.

See through the mist

That you have swum to the surface, and

Breathe, breathe freely again.