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A Breath Away

There is that damp pressure 
pushing against your skin
on those thick, 
fog congested mornings
when the light
is almost absent

and you feel walled in
and alone
being deprived of distance
with the world shrinking
to a size little more
than what is measured out
by a few shuffled footsteps
from where you stand.
There seems nothing beyond.

And yet,
disorientated and carrying
all your doubts,
you push on,
nurturing a sense
of being drawn 
inexorably towards
a somewhere,
measureless in distance
from the circumference
of yourself, but just
a mere breath away.

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Tony Hargreaves

Date: 3/2/2024 12:26:00 PM

Hi Paul. This brings back thoughts of those pea-soup fogs here in UK in the fifties. Always a fear of people around, unseen, but a muffled sound. And the railway detonators warning train drivers. Tony

Paul Willason
Date: 3/2/2024 8:48:00 PM

Many thanks for your visit Tony and leaving your comments. You triggered memories of hearing railway detonators going off....indeed part of the orchestra of sounds penetrating those foggy days of childhood. Kind regards, Paul

Lin Lane

Date: 2/28/2024 2:24:00 AM

Being in fog always gives me the sense of smothering, as if I am a breath away from death. The mist clings and vision is lost… a Twilight Zone moment. It’s easy to lose sense of direction, in more ways than one. Your words instilled a sense of fear in me, whether intended or not. You made me feel as great poets do.

Paul Willason
Date: 2/29/2024 4:42:00 AM

Somewhat share the claustrophobic feeling you desribe when walking in thick fog...the deprivation of a sense of distance and perspective plays with the mind. Thankyou dear Lin for your kind words and ongoing encouragement. Means a lot.

Daniel Henry Rodgers

Date: 2/27/2024 8:14:00 AM

Paul, Your poem effectively captures the suffocating weight of doubt and isolation yet hints at the faint hope that lies just beyond reach. In the dense fog of uncertainty, your words navigate a path toward a distant yet palpable destination, showing us that despite the confines of our own perceptions, possibility lingers within arm's reach. This is an evocative journey. - Blessings, Daniel

Paul Willason
Date: 2/29/2024 3:56:00 AM

Thankyou Daniel for your thoughtful comments....honored that you spent time extracting so much. Poems almost have their own life once escaped from the pen, often revealing multiple layers. I value your kind wirds.