Breathe...

Breathe he said
I am breathing
aren't I?
he looked down at me
his face suddenly too close
it was then I realized
I was not breathing
well
it was as if there was not
enough air
that i was only taking in half breaths
the rest stopped
suddenly short
followed by
wheezing
first in then out
I was
suffocating
this was real

Relax
he said...
breathe as deep as you can
you can do this
work, push through it
Sit there like a good girl
and just breathe...

So I did
I sat up as straight as I could
suddenly alone
no one to help me
ever so slowly
my breathing returned
to normal

I'm not sure how it happened
or why
and even when I felt
well enough to climb down from my chair
I could not find anyone
to tell them I was ok

I was only five...
and I had just pulled through
one of the scariest things
in my life...