My Last Breath Poem by Gary Scott Gebert

Out in the middle of the sea
floating amidst the waves of hopelessness
Like a small object floating through the barrenness of space
until eternity has eaten my very self
I feel the emptiness

Not knowing whether it will be long now
if the inevitability of me has proved complete
Anxious at the thought of fulfillment
wondering how and when
it will end

Losing all my strength
as the waves pound my beaten body
Water pouring over me
as if to smother my cries for salvage
when there is none

I gasp, cough the brackish liquid
stinging my swollen eyes
Up, down, turning end for end
but feeling a sense of calm
a sense of peace, a sense of relief

Then I realize it's only in my head
I take a breath
In, out, in, out, in, out
opening my eyes and seeing plainly
my future, my only hope
my last breath...