How to Breathe

in bed again     same cinematic deliverance

playing for the sixth time this week     it seems

easier to get lost when I already know the ending

 

this morning I sewed your forgotten sweater

into an oversized pillowcase     a weak attempt

to reconcile the wreckage that was left behind

 

because my hands needed something to do

because I needed to focus on stitches not senses

 

to miss something that never truly existed

seems a terrible waste of time     and yet

I drift between giving up and getting on

like a buoy unbound in a somber sea

 

there is no pattern     no constant to cling to

hope sheds her scaled skin like a reptile

while I shut my eyes and try to remember

            how to breathe

Reviews

[Karen]

There is so much emotion and meaning in this poem that I'm unsure where to begin, either with the deep emotions associated to loss or the great imagery of how activities in everyday life only brings the narrator closer to the loss experienced. But what I was most impressed by was the personification of hope as a reptile that sheds its skin; this is very creative as I've never read it before in this way. Beautiful poem!

[Robbie~xoxo~]

"to miss something that never truly existed

seems a terrible waste of time and yet

I drift between giving up and getting on

like a buoy unbound in a somber sea"~ I can truly relate to this...You have depicted the pain of being in emotional purgatory.... Fantastic write!~xoxo~:)

[Shawn M]

I keep reading your work and it keeps killing me that I have nothing helpful to offer you! UGH. Your words are amazing. You've captured this so well. Thanks you so much for sharing.

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

You are very kind!

[Troy Henson]

To lose someone close to us hurts and sometimes the grieving process can and will take it's time. Our brains are a wondrous part of our makeup and we find our memories remaining so real and providing such emotion when revisited. To breath can be hard sometimes and like a rock on your chest it will seem as though it's impossible. The little things we do that help us manage along the way are a basis of acceptance.
Nice one Sarah.

Regards
Troy

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

Thank you, my friend.

[MsJewel]

Your words touch my heart Sarah. How difficult it is to accept a lost love or someone gone. Memories replay in our heart and head and we try to rationalize...going over every detail.
I shut my eyes and try to remember how to breathe - this line just tears me apart - Perhaps I know the feeling too well..

Your talent never ceases to amaze me.

:) Julie

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

Thank you so much, Julie!

[I Am Svetlana]

"It seems easier to get lost when I already know the ending." That being my favorite line and also how I adored the amount of personal depth you put into this piece! It's hard to forget certain things or people, to keep the memories out, not focus on our senses or let them control us. We have to learn that people will not stay in our lives forever, they have to go somewhere, have other places to be, other things to do. We can't depend on them to be there every second that we need them, to hold our hand, to wipe our tears, to tell us right from wrong. Only we can do that and in the end, all we truly have is ourselves.

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

THank you so much, my friend.

[Rita L. Sev]

Strong imagery in this, Sarah. That memory-film - we replay it over and over in the hopes that we missed something that could change the outcome... but the script remains unaltered...

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

Thank you, Rita!

[Rebecca Buller]

"hope sheds her scaled skin like a reptile
while I shut my eyes and try to remember how to breathe"

A love now gone and now comes the part of moving on. Very well written, GF! Bravo:)

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

Thank you so much, Rebecca...humbled.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

This is such a lovely plaint of reconciliation and the attempted acceptance of a love now gone. I love the thought of making the old sweater into a pillowcase and I love the focus on stitches not senses. Great job!

[TL Boehm]

hope sheds her scaled skin like a reptile. OH LORD. That line. so many times I run on autopilot because to FEEL is to come to terms with reality and reality often sucks on so many levels. Stellar poem.