when done right, poetry can leave me breathless
reprogramming my brain so deeply, I forget how to breathe and my heart ache comes when potent poetry weights heavy enough to relax this body, skipping a beat.

This is actually where I met poem, inseide these ribs between heart and lung
one of those times that poem had stopped both.
I became aware that poem was going off about how few people listen
'what!?' I exclaimed, leaving poem speechless, as i heard poem into speech.

'who are you anyways?' I continured
'and how did you get inside this moment while this body neither breathes or beats'?
and with that realization
'how long do we have?"
i asked in a cardiovascular panic

poem smiled, as if poem could smile
and if poem could hear as I did
the tinkering shatter and subsequent clatter
of the worlds mechanical clocks falling to pieces
sounding together.
a big sound, even for poem, who's got all the time in the world

poem continued by having me look into the rising sun
'do you recognize your heart on the outside of your body?"

Sunrise and poem sang sweet songs for me as plant life
the sacred by which this planet is alive.
this planet is alive!

poem was gentle with me here
challenged by the humility of worshipping leaf
who's life work is to capture, to indulge and enjoy, sun

'you are no less leaf than sun' reminds poem
'be at home, it's alright to need plant
for that is plant's work
as sun is ever, unfathomably, giving
be at peace with this'

'and so to must you understand your humyn work'
...

poem invited silence to join us
letting me down with reflection into the living beating heart of this body, the ever expanding lungs of breath.
my constant interaction with life
my being, as breath

when poem visits now, ocean's tears still come from this body
as sunsets write poetry with my reflection or shadow
as the rhythms of this body, beating and breathing sing
-you are one-
listen to your body, whom is poem remembering to live life as one
and walk at dusk to be sunset
or enjoy being that leaf midday
accompany the music of your heart with those lungs
in this body whom poem says is one
listen to your body, knowing all life is one