Easy as Breathing

12/2/2019
easy as breathing in & out
my stomach tightens as I shout
nowhere to go, nothing to see
if I can't be here, then where can I be?
deafening howls directed at me
each one a dagger; I quietly bleed
unto death I depart
leaving behind my pallid heart
a conflict so cruel, familiar, enraged
my mind: a forest set ablaze
breathing in smoke, my lungs deflate
my eyes water, drowning in place
no air, I choke, can't hear my shout
easy as breathing in & out