Breathing
By Michael Shea
Illustration by David Petersen
In out
In out
My body is raw and inflamed
but I push past my assumed potential
Flames swallow my abdominal muscles
while the rest of this body begins to char
Sweat streams down my face
and sneaks its way into the side of my mouth
A smile appears on my face, red
and open wide for more
I taste the familiar saltiness
and swallow my own sodium
My heart is pounding with proteins
while my arteries are flooding with steaming plasma
— feel a sort of high
as I increase my efforts —
— give it my all
and finish —
I let out a long exhale as the rhythm of my breath is extinguished