Inhale/Exhale

[Lawrence]

New Version
"Deep Breath"
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This is inhalation.

Think of a red balloon expanding,
A graceful leap off of the diving board,
That moment before you interject at a meeting,
Or gathering air used to throw a shout across the street.

Suspense thrives here.
The murderer is still hidden,
Knife in hand, behind the door,
And our heroine is not at all aware.
The magician hasn’t pulled his rabbit,
I’m about to blow out my birthday candles,
A boy has picked a dandelion, wanting his wish.

The tide ebbs,
The day slowly withdraws,
You catch the scent of incense,
Lingering in an empty cathedral.
Here, you love her, so you pull her in.
While up ahead, you begin your ascent of Everest

This is exhalation.

Here, you’re cooling off your scolding hot raviolis.
Someone’s just told a joke about two rabbis.
A man walks by you whistling in high pitch
As you breathe fog on your dirty glasses.
Now, your father is puffing smoke rings
On his windy porch in autumn.

The dark cinema erupts in horrified shouts
As the murderer emerges with a burst
And our heroine is taken by surprise.
You can here choirs singing,
The incantations of monks,
Men blowing on hands,
Trying to keep warm.

Ferocious waves crash on a bright beach in August.
St Peter’s is filled with chatty churchgoers.
And here, you love her, so you let her go.
The final sailboat has left the harbor,
Wind scatters piles of fallen leaves,
As you recline in your hammock
And with a long, slow sigh,
Drift into sleep.

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Oh, and Todd, I'll try to eliminate a breathing reference.