Yes, you, I want you to breathe

And I don’t mean 

inhaling and exhaling

in order to fill your lungs with oxygen

I mean

inhaling and exhaling

in order to fill your life with passion

Because I know 

that you’ve been holding in your differences

Afraid that critics would spit out their isms

and make you inhale their hate 

and passionate protests 

against the person of you 

and so you opted to suffocate

But I will never stop insisting that you breathe

Because not with sick bodies

but with sick minds

the selfish and greedy 

sure don’t mind infecting the world

while you hold in your brilliance

But you’re afraid to breathe

And while every cell in you is dying

and the air in your lungs is longing to be free

you still refuse to breathe life onto the earth because you are afraid of 

what “they” would think

But while you’re looking at “them”

they’re looking at you

their eyes wide with your normalcy

Afraid of what you would say

if they would

walk, talk, act

even think differently

We’re all just afraid of 

how others appear to be

Because your soul is dancing 

inside that tiny box we call skin

Held inside a cage which we have named skeleton

But you let ideas swirl around your mind until they dissolve away never to be seen again

But can’t you breathe?

Can’t you just be?

Because if I’m looking at you, and you’re looking at me,

do you really think we’re viewing each other’s complexities?

You might see these hazel eyes, but do you truly see me?

I spoke with a girl the other day who was 4 years old

After just five minutes

with me

she decided to bare her soul

But as we grow older, the world just throws us apart, rips out our hears, but we’re not alone

Let’s exhale with relief that we’re not as we appear to be.

Let’s join hands, my friends,

and start living

Take a deep breath, my friends. 

We’ll blow them away