FIRST BREATH:

A group of men stand in a darkened room,
Wear the wrong clothes,
Stare into space,
Hands writhing to escape,

I know who they used to be,
But,
In these clothes,
We’ve never met,

Suddenly,
They burst into song,
Like miners fresh from dirty holes,
Blackened & exhausted,

Cut like fine cheese,
Their first breath,
Is beautiful & heartbreaking

 

(K)