Inhale
Breathe in the smell of the salty air
Breathe in so much toxic oxygen that your lungs fill up like balloons
Pop, exhale
Breathe out the throat tightening pain when he tells you he needs space
I hope you can use a brush or guitar strings or a pen
I hope you use your hands for something other than cooking him a meal
I hope you take pictures and dance in the refrigerator light in the middle of the night while tears roll and splash into your bowl of stale Lucky Charms
Don’t forget to breathe
Please, I hope you fight, don’t hide in the shadows and drown in the ocean you call your thoughts
Speak up
Don’t let words stick to the insides of your hollow bones
I hope you aren’t pretty; you shouldn’t be defined by a two-syllable word
You can be pretty intelligent, pretty amazing, and pretty insane
Inhale
I hope you’re not a writer
Don’t turn a red stain on a white t-shirt into something beautiful
Please, breathe
I hope there is still air for you to breathe