Snow Breath

When I was a child
after a good long walk outdoors
he would pull me in for a hug
and the breath from his airways
smelled of lungs scrubbed
clean by fresh air and pure sky.
This was my favorite smell.

Not long ago I realized
that the passions I pursued
fell in my father’s footsteps
the way my footfalls followed his
and used his imprint
as we walked through the snow
and pursued that air
over the contours of the land.



Copyright Jamie Laurens and Waste and Praise contributors. All rights reserved by individual artists.