Exhales at Night
by Odin Roark

How troubling the breathtaking,
of highs and lows,
the anticipation
the disappointment.

Such is the plight
of those troubled,
who find release at night,
sometimes with their martini,
6-pack,
or white dust and razor blade.

To catch one’s breath is difficult at times
unless…

One has the realization purging the breath
is uncontrolled,
whether during the day
at a disagreement with one’s supervisor,
or the hang up of a spouse or partner
in a domestic disagreement.

Then…

There’s the man or woman
without a job,
a spouse,
not even a partner.

Damp does their pillow of sleep become
as nocturnal exhaling becomes their only option,
bathed in sweat and tears and the question…

Who am I, really?