Sonnet 1: Of Breath and Life

One breath begins the body’s fragile flame,

The trembling spark that strikes against the dark;

From silence born, the air bestows a name,

And carves its fleeting presence with a mark.

One breath can kindle love within the chest,

A hurried sigh, a laugh that lights the skies;

The whispered vows on which a heart finds rest,

The hush of awe reflected in the eyes.

Yet breath can thin, can falter into shade,

A shallow ghost that clings to lips in vain;

The same sweet air by which our joy was made

Turns cold and yields to memory and pain.

For every breath is a gift and a guarantee:

A spark of life, and its mortality.