His lung
it deflated
The right one
Entirely.
There was no more air.
Not a single drop.
And drop it did.
completely collapsing.
on the other end of the phone
he is there.
barely.
appropriately afraid for his life.
As he loses breath.
something you should not do
at 22
this is a fear for later
much later
not now
but it is here now.
I remind him
how wise
his call to the ambulance earlier
wise fear
indicative fear
hours later
tubes in every orifice
his face.
soft and present.
his expression
brave, tender and dependent
like his reflating lung
working hard
to keep it all
together
still needing air.
His air.
Our air.
Life force.
The force that is (t)his life
We gave it to him
He gave it back to us
Like one big inhale and exhale
We did it together
Caroline said….
Like when he was young,
he breathed your air
Fresh, inspiring
Life changing
Now again, he breathed our air
stale, and strained
Life altering
Air, our life force
That we would share
Over and over again
No questions asked
We are all changed
Our lives never to be the same.
Alterations to the plan.
Like alterations to the fabric
The fabric of our collective connective tissue.
One shared breath at a time.
Ducit Amore 