A breath is what we all require,
To live, to love, to quench desire.
But ah, what price this breath may be,
For longing is its fee.

It's like a bird trapped in a cage,
Fluttering wings, a futile rage,
Wishing to fly to distant lands,
And feel the wind on feathered strands.

It's like a flame in winter's night,
A dancing warmth, a flickering light,
But the shadows it casts remind,
Of a love that's left behind.

It's like a river that flows and flows,
Seeking the sea where it finally goes,
But what if the sea is far away,
And the river's longing cannot sway?

It's like a heart that beats and beats,
Echoing a love that never retreats,
But what if the one it loves is gone,
And the beat echoes on and on?

So, take a breath and feel it deep,
For every breath we take, we reap,
A longing that is hard to bear,
But still, we breathe, and hope, and dare.
© Avinash David