Exhale

An Ekphrastic poem for day 9 of National Poetry Month

A Herd With Cattle In A Mountainous Landscape, by Hendrikus van de Sande Bakhuyzen

For Day 9 of the National Poetry Month challenge hosted by

V. Walker | Poet

, the challenge was to choose one of three paintings and write an Ekphrastic poem inspired by it.

The painting is above, the poem is below. Please enjoy…

---

This pressure in my head. 
The voice are all screaming. 
Building and building until
my demons have had their fill. 

The storm rages all around, 
My breath freezes in my lungs. 
I’m about to break and snap. 
Fallen into anxiety’s obvious trap. 

Then, suddenly, it stops. 
All the noises have ceased. 
The straw that broke the back? 
Or maybe a heart attack?

I open my eyes slow, 
Wind on my cheeks, 
Warm sun on my face, 
I don’t recognize this place. 

Was I crushed beneath it all? 
Under the weight of expectation, 
my bones began to crack. 
I said things I can’t take back. 

Mountain views greet my eyes,
Cattle graze beside a babbling brook, 
Trees sway in a soft, soothing breeze.
I shed a tear as I fall to my knees. 

I exhale for the first time in years. 
Release ancient air from my lungs, 
Unclench my jaw and welcome this,
sudden and unending bliss. 

I take a breath of that new air.
The storm seems so far now. 
It doesn't matter how I got here. 
My mind has never been so clear. 

---

Thanks for Reading! Here’s Your Musical Pairing

Listen to this after reading, like having a glass of wine with dinner.