Take My Breath Away
They say that life is not measured
by the number of breaths we take
But by the moments
that take our breath away.
Yet we presuppose
our breathing as rudimentary
Inhaling and exhaling,
an act deemed so ordinary.
To breathe is to live,
to live is to love
Experiencing true love
Surely a divine gift from above.
At the sight and mention
of the beloved
The lover does deeply breathe
Adorning the heart in a wreath.
Promising to never part till death
Starting the day with the beloved's name
Nights ending inhaling their breath.
A smile of joy and a sigh of sorrow
Respiration taken for granted
As if there were no tomorrow.
Love is but a thief
that steals your breath and soul
Is love then, the oxygen of the soul?
Which keeps the spirit alive
To respire is to roll.
Then what becomes
of this precious life
For what is all this strife ?
Exhilarating adventures,
natural wonders destinations unseen
extracts bemused gasps
breathtaking sights and memories
of places we had been.
The single Divine breath
which our Creator did blow
upon a lump of clay
and lo man was created
the one that we all know.
The single breath
that determines the fine line
between life and the state of death.
Man's ingratitude
And denial of the favors of his Lord
The taking for granted
Of the life giving breath
The air most wanted.
Irked by this candour
Its time to be tested
By the supreme Commander
The very organs that supply life sustaining air
Upon which existence rests, life seems unfair.
Our breaths are now numbered
Divine intervention of invisible soldiers
Instil fear of invasion in our slumber.
Put to the test in the form of a round prickly ball
That travel from the nose to the lungs
No vaccines yet to stall.
Oblivious of race,
color creed and societal rungs.
A rougue virus is what they call
Over 2 million dead attacked by the thorny ball.
Weighing less than a gram
Its now the time to give a damn.
Its not a pretty picture to see one gasp
For that single breath which we let lapse.
Salvation in patience and repentance
Salivating tongues moist with prayer
In the hope that the Lord will desist to scare.
And once again shower
His Divine love and care.
A promise to stop needless death
And return to us our lowly breath.
Tanya Karim is an architect in Dhaka and has also works in Bhutan and Middle East.
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