your eyes land on my mouth
with my last word
i watch your chest
rise and fall, stop
start again
shifting the air
with high voltages
dispatched from each breath
tense
from the corner of your mouth
to the crease of your brow
deepened down the middle
the tilt of your chin, upwards
as i reach my eyes
past your nose
and find no one
cheeks warm
oxygen escapes
shoulders collapse
while your breath rises, falls
a cold shiver
saying nothing
breathe
“breathe”