Breathing Common Air

Rolling over, our faces nearly touch.

I feel the motion of his breath.

He exhales as I inhale.

We breathe common air.

 

Our conversation flows.

His words stimulate my thoughts

My replies impact his ideas.

We come to a joint decision.

 

We sit in a chilly room.

I push up against him.

He puts his arm around me.

We share the warmth between us.

 

He can’t read the fine print.

I stumble on the stairs.

We make up for the other’s weakness,

Taking the painful edge from aging.

 

We breathe together,

We think together,

We share warmth,

We bear one another’s burdens.

 

When one of us must leave,

Will the other stumble in the cold?

Will the one left behind be able to think?

Will it even be possible to breathe?