Air of Mercy

by Stephen R. Clark

Breathing astonishes me.

In and out, lungs that do what lungs do,

and I am barely aware. Although

there are moments when the air comes

reluctantly into me. Shortness of breath

they call it. The causes are probably many.

Too much weight on an aging frame,

afib, sleep apnea, and more add up.

Together they conspire to hold me back

from aspirations of exercise that,

supposedly, might help lessen the

challenged breathing episodes.

Or so I’m told. Still, in and out,

the lungs do what lungs do.

The drawn air may be as thin

as my age-worn skin, but I go on.

Mottled on the surface

reflecting the mottling within,

the effects of sin and the Fall.

Sins I own I confess with my lasting

breath. Whisper laments and regrets

into the always listening ears of God

who keeps me living

and astonishes me anew daily

with his mercies. Over and over,

as regular as breathing.

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Stephen R. Clark is a writer who lives in Lansdale, PA with his wife, BethAnn, where they are members of Immanuel Church. His website is www.StephenRayClark.com. He is an associate member of the Evangelical Press Association and managing editor of the Christian Freelance Writers Network blog (tinyurl.com/cfwriters). He has published three volumes of poetry and his poems have appeared in Christianity & Literature, Calla Press, Amethyst Review, Hoosier Lit, Tipton Poetry Journal, and other publications.