by Robin Wright
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| "Breathe in breathe out" poster by Raphaella Vaisseau |
A voice summons from somewhere outside this tube.
Breathe in, Breathe out, Breathe in, Hold your breath
No way to say I’ve been doing just that
ever since Putin invaded Ukraine.
Breathe in, Breathe out, Breathe in, Hold your breath
I study gray tape on the ceiling, a few inches
from my face. It’s long and straight, a runway, but
no planes, only torn spots in the shapes of tear drops.
Breathe in, Breathe out, Breathe in, Hold your breath
I lie still. When loud thuds like gunfire overpower U2
playing "With or Without You" on my headphones,
I squeeze my eyes tight, willing the noise to stop.
Breathe in, Breathe out, Breathe in, Hold your breath
I’m safe, tucked in a tube.
Breathe in, Breathe out, Breathe in, Hold your breath
A pregnant woman, bloody, swollen
thought she’d be safe inside the maternity ward
in Mariupol, but had to stumble through glass,
rubble, and labor pains to keep her body
and unborn baby from being torn to bits by bombs.
Breathe in, Breathe out, Breathe in, Hold your breath
How many families are with or without loved ones?
How many hide in basements with no food, water, electricity?
How many buried in mass graves? How many more?
Breathe in, Breathe out, Breathe in, Hold your breath
The machine done, the radiology tech
tells me I’m good at holding my breath.
I leave, await my fate and that of Ukrainians.
Breathe in, Breathe out, Breathe in, Hold my breath
Robin Wright lives in Southern Indiana. Her work has appeared in One Art, Young Ravens Literary Review, Olney Magazine, As it Ought to Be, Rat’s Ass Review, Sledgehammer Lit, Muddy River Poetry Review, Sanctuary, and others. Her first chapbook Ready or Not was published by Finishing Line Press in October of 2020.