Just the Air

Tried to sit still,

just for a bit.

Close my eyes,

let the world go dim.

But the hum of the fridge,

the traffic drone,

it all pushed in.

So I focused,

hard, on the air.

The soft rasp,

a faint, internal tide.

In.

Out.

A small, steady engine

behind the ribs.

It’s not a quiet sound,

really. More like a current,

a quiet friction,

always there.

And for a moment,

that was enough.

Just the slow push,

and the pull.