The Breath of Struggle

In the stillness of the night, a sudden woe,
A heart's betrayal, its rhythm slows,
Breath, once a friend, now a foe,
In agony's grasp, the soul bows low.

Each gasp, a battle, fierce and fraught,
A desperate plea, a silent thought,
Air, elusive, in torment caught,
Life's precious thread, painfully sought.

The chest, a cage of fiery ache,
With every swell, the sinews quake,
Weeks stretch long, a cruel wake,
Of breathless nights and dawns that break.

The lungs, they burn, they weep, they sigh,
Under a leaden, merciless sky,
Yet hope alights, it will not die,
In the struggle's midst, it dares to fly.

A heart, though torn, can mend and beat,
Through trials harsh, and relentless heat,
The pain, a testament, bittersweet,
To life’s tenacity, no small feat.

So breathe, though labored, each breath a gift,
Through shadows deep, the spirit lifts,
For in the struggle, hearts can shift,
And find in pain, their strength and thrift.

In the quiet, when the storm has passed,
Each breath a triumph, free at last,
Remember then, the shadows cast,
And how the struggle’s pain was vast.

But in that pain, a truth does lie,
That hearts, though broken, can defy,
And breathe anew, beneath the sky,
With wings of hope, they learn to fly.