Katrina Kaye

I count
backwards
from sixty;

I hold
air in lungs
and try to
stop this
involuntary reflex.
A compulsion
to fight or flight.
An urge to
lose myself
in stale memories.

I take turns
breathing life
in and out
like the moon
pulls her tides
and overlook the
heart I left
soaking in
jars of
formaldehyde
awaiting
resurrection.

It is easy
to reclaim the
fleeting fervor
of yesteryear
in quick anticipated
gasps held in chest.
It is best
to release
air from lungs,
count down,
breathe.

“When I See You” is previously published in Rabbits for Luck (2016).