Stop and Breathe

Stop and breathe they say
Automatic mechanical talk
Like it's the only way
To balance on the line I walk.

Stop and breathe they say
Trying to force comfort around
Quick to help, make me okay
Even quicker to push me to the ground.  

Stop and breathe they say
Like I'm out of my mind
"Fix-her" is the new game play
A required challenge unlike any kind.

Stop and breathe they say
Forgetting why they cared at all
But easy to remember what they pay
Easier still to forget me as I fall.

Stop and breathe they had said
Never once did they stop and say
"Now or never, can't breathe when you're dead"
Stop and breathe that way.