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The Permission to Breathe: Lips & Poetry

February 3, 2026 by
The Permission to Breathe: Lips & Poetry
Lips and Language

Breathe

When can I breathe again
When can I enjoy the sun rays bouncing
The melodic tunes in tune with my heart
The rhythms of familiar laughter
That pull
That pull to start
Living
When will I breathe again
When will this crushing depressing cloud be a distant vapour
That my maker tears back and hand claps out of existence
I wanted to be out of existence
I wanted to be a free spirit
In heaven with my son looking down on earth looking at the images of pain
My thoughts said it would be ok
Said it would be painless
N I could finally be at peace
Oh how beautiful it would be to leave this world behind on my own terms
Before things got worse
Before I lost my breathe completely
Before I lost my mind completely
But as I sailed above I felt the burning heat
I saw my feet completely crash beneath me
I was overcome with the guilt of those left behind
My thoughts are interrupted
Every
Single
Time
This was not the answer to the questions I held hidden in my heart
Even death doesn't come easy
I guess it's not meant for me
I see the lies written on the walls of my mind
But the music notes expose the truth
I am loved
I am needed
I am a beautiful being
600 Cola Bennett
Then that base comes
It's The heartbeat of the rhythm
That Says
Don't give up
It's not over
Keep fighting
listening to a shuffled playlist of gospel song and it's the same message of reasoning and reassurance
I started searching for answers
Praying
Believing
Searching for that missing song
Searching for my purpose and where I belong
I long to help ppl smile
But i need to find that smile within me
When should I breathe again
When is it safe?
Where is it safe?
Who will breathe with me?
I can't keep going around in circles
I want off this ride
I feel like I'm dying inside
I smile
Then cry
Laugh
Then sigh
There's a feelin inside that keeps pushing override
Overriding the darkness
Allowing small victories inside
I ate today
I prayed today
I bathed today
I feel ok today
I didn't eat today
I stayed in bed all day
I didn't bath today
I still feel ok today
I went to the gym today
Heard my favorite song today
Smiled at someone today
I don't feel ok today
There's a light
A bright light that keeps coming closer
I ate bad food today
Everything is going wrong today
Casualty of Love’s Apologies 601
Lord help me get through this day
I breathed today
And the next day
And the next
Jesus thank you for everyday I wake up and take my first breath of air
Let me be thankful for what seems like small victories
Just
Keep

Breathing

Black woman with piano keys on her lips

 Reflection & Context

This spoken-word piece explores the inner landscape of grief, depression, and spiritual searching, focusing on the fragile question of what it means to keep breathing when the heart is exhausted. It captures the oscillation between despair and hope, between the desire for rest and the quiet insistence of life that continues to pulse beneath the pain.

Through the language of music, rhythm, and breath, the poem reflects how faith, prayer, and small daily victories become anchors during seasons of emotional darkness. The repetition of ordinary acts—waking, eating, praying, moving, listening—reveals how healing often begins not with dramatic change, but with the courage to take one more breath and one more step.

At its core, this piece is about spiritual resilience: the slow rediscovery that life is still worth inhabiting, that love is still present, and that God meets the soul not only in strength, but in weakness, confusion, and the simple act of staying. It affirms that breathing itself can become an act of faith, and that survival is already a form of hope.

Reflection Prompt

When have you experienced a season where simply getting through the day felt like an act of courage?

What “small victories” in your life—rest, prayer, movement, connection, breath—remind you that light is still reaching you, even when your heart feels heavy?

Original Performance


This piece was originally performed as part of the Lips & Poetry series, where spoken word meets lived experience. Watch the original recording below to hear the rhythm, breath, and emotion that first carried these words.

Experience the Poem in Voice