It’s the type of fall day
Where I wish I had the lungs
Of a blue whale.
How frustrating, to only sip at this sky!
I want to suck in volumes of the crisp air.
I want to hold the whole cold autumn in my lungs,
Inhale, and inhale, and inhale,
Feeling my chest expand ever further
Till I’m carrying giant, fresh, crisp lungs
Stretched to extreme by the cleansing wind.
I want to feel the transpiration
Of the green to red transition of the leaves
The bright, harsh light of the cooler sun
The crunch and the chill and and the beautiful feeling
That soon, this part of the earth will repose,
Work of making, seeding, and growing complete.
I want to take that sense of accomplishment
Into my core and only exhale
An hour later.