Second Breath

My chest slowly rose up,

then down

As I breathed deeply, almost unevenly from the slight pinch I felt in my chest at the feeling of his hand reaching for mine, this was new, unexpected, but I reached back, our hands connecting for the first time, first touch

Inhale

I controlled my breathing, or tried to, a task I had never struggled with before now, before, You.

You, a pillar of uncharted, untamed emotions, waiting to be explored like the waters of the ocean, unknown, unseen. But I'm the explorer, the voyager, the cat filled with curiosity of the unknown, the wanderer with wide eyes, for which the lost can be found, and the unseen, seen.

I look in your eyes, and I see power, I see desire, I see determination. But I also see hurt, pain, exhaustion. Heavy like the weight of the world, a weight that is too heavy for one to carry alone. Good thing I'm strong, I remind myself

Inhale

I want to explore you, I want to venture beyond those eyes to the depths of you, I want to see you from within. But I'm not brave, I am merely a person, just another person in a world filled with others exactly like me in every way, I'm not special. I wonder if I will be capable enough, strong enough, powerful enough, to take you on full force in your entirety.

Inhale

Just as I settle with the knowledge of your power over me, I feel it, the release. The release of fright, the release of the unconfident, the relief of fear, the relief of acceptance, the release of the second breath, I had not realized I was waiting to exhale, but as I finally did I felt a wave of ecstasy wash over me, washing away my doubts, and all that is left. Is you.

Exhale.