by Sharon Hoffman
I don't have enough breath.
I'm not breathing good.
[Coughs]
They don’t usually last this long.
They usually go pretty quick.
[Coughs.]
I'm talking to you, OK? You've got to talk to me.
[Coughs.]
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
Smell the coffee, blow out the candles.
[Coughs.]
I'm hurting, honey. Help me, honey.
I've got the power and authority to stop.
[Coughs.]
Stop, smell the coffee, blow out the candles.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
[Coughs]
I'm hurting. I'm hurting bad.
I'm having a dark turn, a dark turn.
[Coughs.]
______
Sharon Hoffmann is a writer based in Atlantic Beach, Florida. Publications include The Hooghly Review, New York Quarterly, Beloit Poetry Journal, Alice Walker: Critical Perspectives (Harvard University Press), Paddler Press, South Florida Poetry Journal, Letters, Wild Roof, Sho, and other magazines. Awards include fellowships from Atlantic Center for the Arts and Florida’s Division of Cultural Affairs, three Pushcart nominations and a nomination for Best Spiritual Literature.
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