Breathtaking.

In a breath, the world finds its place.

You teach the stars how to shine

and the oceans to meet the coasts.

From the dust you form me,

you exhale life into my lungs.

And the sun rises and sets

as you wrap its warmth around me.

A whisper in my ear turns my face from yours.

My hands reach for the alluring piece of fruit

as yours fall numbly into your lap.

Your footsteps are soft,

and I don’t notice your figure slowly disappear

until a gust of chilling wind makes me

gasp and I take my first breath alone.

I lose myself and start to run –

my feet blistering as they tread upon the broken earth.

Tears of shame stain my face.

I swallow the voice that longs to call your name.

In my solitude, frustration erupts into anger

and I abandon my desire for you.

Lust and greed consume my dry spirit in a fire.

Among a throng of hatred,

I find my home.

We scream and curse a man on a tree,

sweating, drowning in blood.

I watch him take his final gasp of air.

As I turn to leave, something

in the lines of his lifeless face

nails my feet to the ground.

My heart breaks when I remember you

and I can faintly feel your arms around me.

I collapse at the foot of the cross

for it was I who took your breath away.