Oxygen
I breathe you out
and breathe you in
as you restore my lack.
With your passing,
fine hairs on my arms
stand at attention,
as though reaching out
for the mere touch
of you.
You surround and enter me,
then beat a hasty retreat,
in and out like children
passing through
a kitchen door.
Needing something,
then needing to be gone,
called in again
by request or need.
You fill and nourish me.
You lift my tresses
from my shoulders,
tangle my fringe,
blow the insignificant
from my life.
Deposit autumn leaves,
like sad reminders
of your passing.

nice, nearly wrote one similar then changed it to lead 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Talk about opposites! That in itself is a poem, Kate.
LikeLiked by 1 person
oh. oh. the last few lines melted and somehow pinched my heart.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exactly my intention! ;o)
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLike
Great ode to our most essential element.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the way you personify oxygen, Judy, especially in the lines:
‘You surround and enter me,
then beat a hasty retreat,
in and out like children
passing through
a kitchen door.’
I also love the tangled fringe and deposited autumn leaves ‘like sad reminders of your passing’.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Kim.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Oxygen | Matthew Seufer Photography -Reaching Millions Worldwide with a GIFT of HOPE,COMFORT, and INSPIRATION in 2020.
I nearly put a link in the prompt to “Love is like oxygen” – but I didn’t need to. This works as a love poem and an ode to oxygen itself. That middle stanza is an absolute stunner, really caught me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Sarah.
LikeLike
And where would we be without the breeze filling our lungs?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Six feet under, I am quite sure!!!
LikeLike
That second stanza created such a sense of longing. Beautiful metaphors.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much, Carol.
LikeLike
Thanks, Carol.
LikeLike
Beautiful poem, Judy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely poem
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a delightful ode!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Beverly.
LikeLike
We need it to survive …I breathe you out
and breathe you in
LikeLiked by 1 person