Held Breath

The phone went dead.

The click, a small, sharp shot.

And then the pressure in my head,

a knot,

so tight, so hot.

Behind my eyes, a burn began,

a dry, slow sting.

My throat, it closed, a sudden span,

like nothing, nothing I could sing.

A shallow breath, a rapid beat,

my chest went hollow, light.

The air, too thick, the taste too sweet,

for holding back the sudden night.

No tears.

Just the tremor,

the body braced,

against the rising, silent scream,

and the quiet, wasted space.