I gasp in uneven
measure, breathe too deeply,
as if there may
not be enough O2.

Sure of need to stockpile
vast reserves of precious
commodity
despite evidence of

plenty, I gulp mouthfuls,
more than my share, then I 
rationalize
petty pilfering as

I sink knee-deep in need,
like liquid nitrogen,
that freezes trust,
makes reason disappear.

Lungs fill like helium
balloons ready to pop.
Every muscle
twitches in relief as

gaseous lifeblood seeps through
vessels, infuses joints
with energy..
Tension takes three steps back.

Sustenance startles nerves
unaccustomed to jolt,
assumed dead, gone,
disappeared into thin

air. For as long as I
can, I hold breath inside 
tired body,
which never gets fill of

conjoined twin molecules
inseparable in both
their coming and
going. One-one-thousand,

two-one-thousand… countdown
to undoing of what
good has been done.
Holding, always holding

on, I cling to what would
leave me empty
and alone. I exhale,
breathe deeply once again.