A Place To Breathe

It's the endings that we are unprepared for.

The weight of the world made him weak;

and most days, he felt all alone.

The thoughts he thought, he could not speak.

The way was the way of his own.

Tired of the grit beneath his feet,

the calloused hands, and disrespect,

he never thought that he would cheat;

but he was tired of her neglect.

 

Every day, he worked hard as stone.

A tempest raged inside his head.

Thunder rattled him to the bone

as lightning struck the fountainhead.

Waves washed over honor with shame.

The dark carried him through the night

into arms of a brighter flame

until rise of the morning light.

 

He found in her a place to breathe,

the quiet grace of shape and form

to escape the sharp city seethe.

She was his shelter from the storm.

Would that the world would fall away

and leave him with her forever,

but the rain comes another day.

He knows that it’s now or never.

 

She had the softest silky skin,

and he found her quite surprising.

She raised him up, then pulled him in,

and he watched the gold sun rising.

It began with a look and smile

across a dim-lit, smoky bar.

She liked his face; he liked her style.

Blues fell into a cookie jar.

 

He returned to a feathered bed

feeling worse than he did before.

A spouse once, a stranger instead,

he cannot blame her anymore.

Lipstick stains on a collared shirt

bleed into remorse’s thorny wreath.

Sticking your nose into the dirt

does not create a place to breathe.

Author's Note

Reviews

[Einstein Noodle]

oh ho ho .. how he was deceived! such a turn in your closing! the serpent is a seductive liar in all his attacks ... promising us what we already have at home ... love isn't really a feeling after all ... it's a deep commitment and choice ... sad tale .. had me guessing as to the outcome all the way through and you surprised me .. at first it reminded me of "Poetry Man" by Phoebe Snow https://youtu.be/7OxTVxGhHFM ... the seven year itch has destroyed many a marriage and the "one" thought to be better only usually lasts a few months .. no place to breathe indeed! enjoyed the rhyming
E.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Hello, E. I have never heard of Phoebe Snow before. Thank you for the link, I just finished reading the lyrics and am listening to the song as I type this now.

I love the lines:

"You are a genie
And all I ask for is your smile
Each time I rub the lamp"

It's sad that she goes from him being the "poetry man making everything alright" to

"You're going home now
Home's that place somewhere you go each day
To see your wife, yeah, yeah, to see your wife"

I guess it's a story as old as time.

I appreciate your taking the time to read me and review.

Linda

[Einstein Noodle]

it is indeed .. sadly true as is the 7 year itch says i! :{ .. both tear the fabric of life long commitments .. for those who still believe in such things.

[willweb]

A place to breathe. Some make that mistake and some just do it because it's the way they are. Some feel regret and guilt and some don't. In the end it is wrong no matter what he feels though it does happen. Beautifully crafted my uber talented friend. Always a new poem from you is a gift fir the eyes and mind. Thank upu for sharing your words with us

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you, willweb. It is always a pleasure to see you, hear from you, and read from you. I hope you are having a great weekend.

[W. Barrett Munn]

Two things that stand out to me: your experience with rhyme is obvious as you never seem a slave to rhyme but rightly use it as a tool; and I also appreciate that you do not slavishly adhere to meter to the point of twisting language into an unnatural and unrecognizable pattern.

Winston

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you, Winston. If I ever get to the point with rhyme or meter where it just literally doesn't make since, I ditch it. I could never do that to my work. I'm too much of a perfectionist for that. Thank you for noticing.