Exhale

To sigh is to surrender joy

One warm childhood day I read this

And sucked in my breath,

held it tight

unwilling to give up what is mine.

But years later, I know better.

How to sigh between chai sips,

after every soothing bath,

before stepping to'ard an untaken path,

I learnt to pace each puff of breath

and savour it,

especially after a filling meal

taste every emotion leaving me,

happy, jealous, hurt, healed.

I still hold my breath

but only in the pool.

Still suck in my tummy

to flex my muscles like a fool.

I learnt to breathe long and slow

I learnt to forgive myself

Most importantly though

I learnt a sigh you are not to hold.

The above poem is for the NaPoWriMo2022. Day 5. The prompt is from @literarychills prompts for NaPoWriMo2022 - a sigh.