rush of air

you take it for granted,
just a regular sweet motion,
waves lapping on a lakeshore
aura light blue, you don't even notice.

until there is a jagged tear
or the timing goes all wrong,
breath too slow, too quick
startling the birds from the trees.

like if you lose your pregnancy
in an 8 hour rush of blood
all by yourself on a long road trip
soaking through five pairs of pants,
pooling the seat into a red lagoon of despair
and your air comes in a panicked rush inoutinoutinout
trembling all your appendages for lack of oxygen,
transforming everything into the wrong world of crimson.
but there is nowhere to stop -
you can only
slow your lungs into the draft of a warrior,
and drive.

breath is the umbilical to spirit they say,
which is how we know
that your body is part of every god
since breath is umbilical also
to your very earthly life.

best to notice it
while everything is right in the world.