Nascent

Eva Zimet

I caught my breath and

fastened it, but had to

let go. Infinitive or imperative.

I found the depth of my lungs, even

the part in my back under my ribs I didn’t know

that was a thing, soft and supple.

Even the divers who hold their breath for 10

minutes and dance with whales, befriend an octopus

or harvest pearls.

Rising breathless, imagine

their moment, breaking the surface to find lost

air, close call.

Remember the time you woke with that feeling?

At birth, remember? No? You

caught your breath. You cried out.

Eva Zimet is an artist from New York City with a new poetry collection The Lost Grip. She works 1:1 and with communities, developing connections through improvisation in language, thought and movement. MFA, JD, certified mediator, TESOL, yoga and meditation instructor, and tanguera, she now lives in Vermont.