From decades of Tareytons,
his breaths usually came
quickly ragged,
one upon the other,
like the rough scales
layered along the length
of a red bass’s
slick body;
but this time,
his lungs grasped
desperately after
the exhale’s rasp.
Like a swimmer
tired and falling
beneath the relentless
pulse of the sea,
he gasped at an air,
which was not there
for him
anymore.
(October 20, 2014)
subtext 