Oxygen – clcouch123

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Oxygen

Breathe Through It

Breathe Through It

What is it but

The wind,

Ruach, pneuma

What is it but breathing

In and out, back in

And back out again

Autonomically, thank goodness

I’d hate to have to think about it

Or blinking

Or a heartbeat

Sometimes we need a push

And then there’s oxygen

In a canister

If it doesn’t seem to work, that can

Be frightening

After a heart attack, when the EMTs

Arrive or at the hospital,

First thing it seems there’s oxygen

Pressed into the nostrils

Good thing, I’m thinking

And typically there’s nitroglycerine

(now there’s an irony in invention)

That eases the chest

And tries to split the head

Into pieces

Imitations of the spirit

All to keep us breathing

I’m thankful

Honestly, for both

The breath that keeps me going,

That takes me home

C L Couch

Photo by Alain Wong on Unsplash

Saint-Adolphe-d’Howard, Canada

December 17, 2019 4

Oxygen

Oxygen

1

As in I’m in favor of

And would like more;

My neighborly air

Too damp

Like Arabian palaces

And towers, craving

Light and space and

Breathing in and out

In an Earth-blue sky

Anyone offering work

Maybe

With room and board

Arizona or how about

California? Or in

Situ the Alhambra?

I know, there are

Wildfires out west—

Conflagration of a

Kind (unkind) along an

Eastern sea;

Thieving atmosphere

Suffocates

Inhaling things

2

All fire swindled from

Prometheus someday

Will cease

In recompense,

While damage to open

Lungs and other

Capabilities are

Prolonged matters

Fire-scarred will

Propitiates our faults,

Mitigates any anger

For the rest, leaving

For last joys our homely

Fires burning against

Night

We, dwelling through

The cold, may story-

Tell the impact of our

Age

(epilogue)

Oxygen feeds fire and

Needful issues

Propelled by nascent

Hope and sometimes

By outraged

We have no choice but

To deal in both

Breathe in air, then

Breathe out our part

August 10, 2016 6

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