On Being Without Breath
Photograph By: Blaque X
I once wrote a Hafiz poem on a pomegranate and mailed it to a woman I remembered loving in another life. As a reward I got to love her again in this one…and it was sweet. The night she touched my hand for the first time, I swallowed my heart whole and felt it beating in my stomach. We stood under the autumn sky…Yellow Springs stars…foreheads touching. I decided right then that I’d believe everything she said. One day she told me she loved me, and the ocean leaned forward squatting to rest her rear on my chest. The weight of it all made it difficult to keep my eyes open. I wondered am I gonna crack or just lose my ability to speak out loud. I wondered how many breaths I had left in this life. It felt like too many and not enough at the same time…but it didn’t matter. She had just taught me how to be without breath.
We loved
Like poets love
Habitually
Lived our wildness
Unapologetically
Without remorse
Or regret
Only “now” before us
Tracing the path
To God’s uncharted territories
We listened to each other’s hearts
Beat like drums
And danced in sweltering heats
In the midst of winters
Thirsty and out of breath
Bursting with energy
Responding to every invocation
Eagerly
We traced the universe’s spine
The small of her back
On our tongues
Sweat
Tasting like Oceans did
Back when they were free
So we poured offerings of honey
Closed our eyes
And let La Mar
Take us under
Awareness is medicine. Until next time, be like water my friends…reflect and flow.
Who taught you how to be without breath?
What is the story of a love in your life that was worth the heartache of letting go?
What offering of affection from a lover (past or present) continues to inspire the way you express want?
