Breathe - For Lauren

 

They say breathing should come naturally

Yet I find myself gasping for air

These walls closing in all around me

Sometimes I’m afraid I’ll disappear

I know my reality is not so desperate

Still… my heart finds trouble beating

My pulse yearns for the rhythm of our love song

But the chorus has become self-defeating

In an effort to keep you near to me

I pretend it is easy to just be your friend

My heart, it seems, does not like being deceived

And refuses to allow me to mend

My mind is quietly whispering

What my heart wishes not to hear

Somehow I must learn to breathe

Without you as my source for air

I pray that I’ll be strong enough

To move forward into a new day

To learn to exist with you as just my friend

Or find the courage to walk away

As I stand in the echoes of my emptiness

I know I am not left to walk alone

The struggle is hearing their voices above yours

And the love that keeps calling me home

I’ll put one foot in front of the other

Take one breath in for each breath out

Each effort rewarded by finding myself

And learning what I’m all about

When the walls start closing in again

And my heart takes a moment to grieve

I’ll reach out to those that love me

And keep finding a way to breathe

One breath in for each breath out

Yes… all I have to do is breathe

ka