The world heavy,
a stone on my chest.
Each inhale a battle.
Each exhale a quiet surrender.
Your voice--
a lullaby
when shadows loom,
a whisper amidst the racket,
“It’s alright to fail. Just breathe.”

In the still of night
darkness swells like an ocean,
and I hear
your song,
a lifeline
to my sinking heart.
Each note a hand
saving me,
each word a promise
that I am not alone.
“It’s alright to fall. Just breathe.”

“It will be alright. Just breathe.”
And for a moment
the fog begins to lift,
the chains binding my soul relax,
and I remember how to breathe.
Your melody wraps me
in a warmth
that chases the cold,
its rhythm a balm,
healing my fractured spirit.

Night stretches endlessly.
Tears fall.
Your voice remains.
Serene.
Steady.
“Inhale. Exhale.”
I follow your lead,
each breath a step toward
finding my light.

“Breathe,” you say,
and the weight begins to lift.
A reminder--
despair is not the end.  
Even when the night is darkest
dawn is only a breath away.

When darkness cloaks me,
your song is etched into my heart,
"Just breathe, it will be enough."
And I breathe.
Every breath a defiance,
a refusal to surrender.