Poetry & Prose by Carol J Forrester
When the trainer asks
‘did you forget to breath’
it sounds stupid,
and unfortunately true.
A little like thinking
too much about the doing
so the thoughts twist knots
into your limbs.
The panic welling
in much the same way
as your lungs swelling up
against your rib-cage.
You were sure you were,
then you’re not sure,
suddenly so unsure
you can’t even breath
without counting
each gasp.
In…
out…
in…
in…
out..
out..
In…
In…
In…
Out…
Out…
Out..
…
Carol J Forrester is a writer and a history geek. Her debut collection 'It's All In The Blood' came out November 2019. She has a 2:1 BA degree in history from Bath Spa University, enjoys judo at least twice a week, and tries to attend poetry events around the Midlands when she can. Her flash fiction story ‘Glorious Silence’ was named as River Ram Press’ short story of the month for August 2014 and her short story ‘A Visit From The Fortune Teller’ has been showcased on the literary site Ink Pantry. Her poems ‘Sunsets’ and ‘Clear Out‘ were featured on Eyes Plus Words, and two of her poems were included in the DVerse Poets Pub Publication ‘Chiaroscuro’ which is available for purchase on amazon.Her poem ‘Until The Light Gets In‘ was accepted and published at The Drabble and her poem ‘Newborn’ was published by Ink Sweat & Tears. She has been lucky enough to write guest posts for sites such as Inky Tavern and Song of The Forlorn and has hosted a number of guest bloggers on her site Writing and Works. View all posts by Carol J Forrester
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I like the description of not being sure whether one was aware of breathing or not.
This is excellent. There are times that we take breathing for granted.
Just breathe! A wonderful poem about being mindful.
we concentrate instead of focus and thus hold the breath – you describe the struggle so well
The change in the counting at the end really acted to slow my breathing down. Very effective.
i forget to breathe all the time. It should be impossible…
When my mind is too busy to allow me sleep, suddenly I become aware of my breathing, and find myself performing the same mantra.
When insomnia has got a stranglehold on my busy monkey mind, suddenly I am very aware of my breathing and find myself performing the same mantra.
Perhaps it is time for us all to exhale!
Those simple things, the ones we think of as automatic and coming naturally, are the ones we need to pay attention to. Oh, how familiar are the lines:
‘so the thoughts twist knots
into your limbs.
….
You were sure you were,
then you’re not sure,
suddenly so unsure
you can’t even breath
without counting
each gasp.’
I could feel the anxiety of counting breaths with you!