can’t breathe
by Lael Cassidy
i already couldn’t breathe—
grief had wrapped its arms
around my chest like a
desperate lover had wrapped its arms
around my chest like a
desperate lover
couldn’t get—
those last sips of
delicious breath
at the top
where the ribs stay
suspended,
without really trying
now it’s as if my grief
is infectious
as though it’s been
released by aerosol into
the atmosphere
the say infected lungs
look like they have
shards of glass
in them, as though
something fragile
has shattered—
and we are
taking it in
Image: Stuart Buck is a visual artist and award-winning poet living in North Wales. His art has been featured in several journals, as well as gracing the covers of several books. His third poetry collection, Portrait of a Man on Fire, is forthcoming from Rhythm & Bones Press in November 2020. He is the art editor for Konstellation Magazine and available for commissions all year round. He can be contacted via Twitter or E-Mail
Lael Cassidy has published 16 nonfiction children’s books, written 2 young adult novels, and one adult novel, many short stories and poems. She holds a BA and MA from University of Pennsylvania and lives in Seattle. She has short fiction scheduled to appear in June issue of Beyond Words.
