Mind Fields: The Nature Of Breath

The Nature of Breath

Oct 19, 2009

Your breath has a shape

unique

like a fingerprint

no two alike

in all the world.

Everything about you

is found in your breath

all your lives

and deaths,

all your thoughts.

Think of your body

as vanished,

only breath remains

it has an in stop

and an out stop

and contains so much more

than air.

If we could know one another

by our breaths

if we could see the human crowd

as a throng of breaths,

nothing else,

(hello jagged anxious breath

how are you

hello smooth relaxed breath

nice to see you)

the human race is

a breath collective

today some will arrive

today some will depart

lungs are merely homes

like hands fill gloves.

Everything sacred, every dark secret

lives in the breath

and when it leaves your body

for the last time

it is a system of information

like a letter full of you,

air mail, breath mail.

I would tell you more of this

if I knew any more

but this is as far as I’ve got

in learning the nature of breath.

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Arthur Rosch is a novelist, musician, photographer and poet. His works are funny, memorable and often compelling. One reviewer said “He’s wicked and feisty, but when he gets you by the guts, he never lets go.” Listeners to his music have compared him to Frank Zappa, Tom Waits, Randy Newman or Mose Allison. These comparisons are flattering but deceptive. Rosch is a stylist, a complete original. His material ranges from sly wit to gripping political commentary.

Arthur was born in the heart of Illinois and grew up in the western suburbs of St. Louis. In his teens he discovered his creative potential while hoping to please a girl. Though she left the scene, Arthur’s creativity stayed behind. In his early twenties he moved to San Francisco and took part in the thriving arts scene. His first literary sale was to Playboy Magazine. The piece went on to receive Playboy’s “Best Story of the Year” award. Arthur also has writing credits in Exquisite Corpse, Shutterbug, eDigital, and Cat Fancy Magazine. He has written five novels, a memoir and a large collection of poetry. His autobiographical novel, Confessions Of An Honest Man won the Honorable Mention award from Writer’s Digest in 2016.

More of his work can be found at www.artrosch.com

Photos at https://500px.com/p/artsdigiphoto?view=photos

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