How about a little taste of BREATHE FOR ME? Here's an excerpt!
English
class. I can’t stop my eyes from sliding casually across the room every few
minutes to stare at Dominic. He has one lock of hair that flops onto his
forehead. For some reason, my fingers itch to push it off his face.
When
was the last time I touched another person? I can barely remember what it’s
like. Even a small gesture, like brushing the small hairs on someone’s arms
with the tips of my fingers, is forbidden to me.
Dominic
looks up from his notebook at that moment. I tear my gaze away, cheeks flaming
from almost being caught staring, and turn my attention back to my assignment.
We’re supposed to be working on a poem, which is usually one of my favorite
activities. For some reason, I’m having a hard time concentrating.
Okay,
I know why. But it doesn’t matter. I’m not going to think about him or our talk
in the library. I’m going to finish this poem. I’m going to finish school
today. And then I’m going to retreat to the sanctuary of my apartment, where I
can shed these layers of clothes and be free of my constraints, if only for a
little while.
I
reread what I’ve written so far:
Alone
on a shore, I am swallowed
By
a stillness, body
Bowed
over, hair like a tree willow.
I
skim the water surface
With
my fingertips, as
Sand
engulfs my feet, my ankles, my calves.
The
water licks
Closer—
Sighing
shores beckon me
To
dance upon the swirling currents.
I
can feel Dominic looking at me. Emboldened, I lift my eyes and stare right into
his. The blue of his irises remind me of the body of water in my poem. Dark.
Tempting. Heavy with an unspoken awareness.
Everything
falls silent except the rush of blood in my ears.
The
rest of the poem’s words come to me out of nowhere, and I spill them out onto
my paper:
I
close my eyes,
Fall
into my escape, where
The
tide’s fingers
Drag
out my air.
Tug
me closer,
Fill
me,
Absorb
me—
I
gasp I freeze
I
am no longer alone.
The
bell rings, jarring me out of my hypnotized state. I slip my poem into my
notebook and stay seated, waiting for the room to empty before I leave to go to
my next class. Girls cling together in tight groups, laughing and talking to
each other as they pour through the doorway into the hall.
I
stay back and watch.
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