Breath

Breath — Andrew Adridge

I’m already out of breath
The constriction of the tight shirt against my bare chest
Has a mind of its own as it weaves its way around my being
Seeing, the insurmountable peak I liken to Everest or Fuji
A mountain in my own mind, the air passing right through me, like a knife
Cold and deliberate as I and I alone confer with the trees and the leaves beneath my feet
A walk like any other to reach the peak of my own life’s journey, a sudden aside
As I long for the feeling of caressing the sky, joining the birds that fly high, circling
But me, with no understanding of their inner workings, I climb

A thought occurs, I scrape the depths of my soul to understand why I find this so difficult
Able-bodied, able of mind, able, what is able? Is that a thought I’ve designed
Through an unhealthy understanding of what makes one whole.
The crunch of the leaves, the far glimpse of my goal is all that I have to keep me motivated to reach the top
I stop, to catch my…

Stop, catch your breath, remember to breathe, etc.

The dirt trodden path on a fall day cannot keep me inline
I find, that as I walk I wind my feet around themselves to make a hard task silly
Where will the will be if I can’t see the beauty of the simplicity of my reality
In a moment where I thought I could be truly free to gather my own thoughts
Work the land, with my feet, I’m almost caught in a time freeze
I stand again, I stare at the trees

Stand, witness…

Waiting for them to reveal to me some great mystery
They close in
Surrounding me and blocking the wind that once sought to do me harm
The path becomes clearer
Tempting me with its gentle, indistinguishable curve to the unknown
Just over the ridge, I approach, like I child coming home
To the outstretched arms of solace in the embrace of a mother
The prize of all prizes, there is no other greater than the knowledge of a journey complete

The gift for my eyes after accomplishing my feat
As the man-made water crashes like a wave in the sea
A stone the size of me
I remember, at that moment, to breathe.