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

[kublakhan27]

I feel this one in my bones. Without overstating the case, it resonates in my very being. Reading it a second time, the Eagles song Wasted Time came to mind. The fear of wasted time being borne of remembering a romance that proved to be superficial in the end. A horrible feeling it is, and as is usually the case, you have a way of articulating it in your own very unique style. The images of sewing and stitches are particularly gripping, especially when one arrives at the realization of no pattern, which is the antithesis of what those activities are founded upon. Imaginative and unflinchingly emotional work as always my friend.

[Izzy-01]

i drift between giving up and getting on ....i think.thoes words say everything thats in this poem i liked very much its very true to the feeling of being stuck between missing someone and needing to let them go

[Tom]

Stirring words indeed, betwixt & between and yes indeed it's hard to let go!

Penned from deep within, always my favourite !!

[Trace]

This is an incredible poem of self conscience, questioning ones one motives and reasons. Nice. Trace

[Rafia ~ Yellow Girl]

Touching...
But I think you can re-do some parts of this piece.
Thank you dear Sarah for sharing the flash of memories through this writing. :)

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

Always open to suggestions...just message me if you have any. This particular piece, though, has already been accepted by a journal, so I don't think I will be revising it. I would, however, love to hear your thoughts. :)

[Lydia Shutter]

Getting lost in an old movie is the perfect pasttime when life is not exactly pleasant. If it is a romantic movie, that's even better....tears will seem natural! When we mourn a loss, we need to distract ourselves and that is not always easy. How sad to realize a love might have been one sided all along. The raw emotions in this were heartfelt, Sarah. Beautifully written. Lydi**

Even in the most painful and darker times, you turn it to beauty my dear friend... there is so much said within this write, that is touching me. There is a feeling of being total in the middle of two worlds, like within a safe dreamy cocoon, to hide, and to feel safe, until there is the possibility to fly out of it...
Your works are always heartfelt, and inspiring, even in the darker days. Well done!

- Elisa

[Angi]

Sarah, you make heartbreak beautiful. Laying in bed, the same movie playing. Making that sweater into something useful. Just breathing and trying to find a way again. I love how you never overlook a moment to write poetry. If you were just looking through a window at this scene, it would not seem to mean anything at all. Just a woman watching tv, passing away the time. Seeing under the surface when you paint your words is magical. Angi~

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

Those are some of the kindest words that I have heard...really made my night.