breathe

breathe

etch it into your very skin

for as long as i’m alive the darkness cannot win

for every fallen foe

every slated goodbye 

take a breath and know

you’re still alive

for every broken promise

every conditional piece of praise

for every untrue “i love you”

don’t get lost in the haze 

for the love is real

just misguided in its name 

for it is attributed to valor, to success, to wealth, to fame

it’s doled out in small amounts

a charity of sorts

for this tired old heart of mine

clammed up at the throat

every word is purposeful

whether to heal or hurt

and whether i’m lost in dollars or dirt 

my name in the mud or in the sky

i exist for naught by my

o w n e y e s

for no one else

does this body breathe

but for my Lord and alone to keep

do i uphold this body of mine

for the one who is truly Divine

so if i’m battered, bruised, and bloody

broken from within, rotting in despair 

never forget the grace He’s delivered

every chance i breathe in air