Jacob Breathing

Once you took your watery breath
from my lungs.

Now you take my breath away
with your dazzling lunge
and lope and skip and sway.
Every single day.

You breathe,
and a thousand wisdoms weave
a silvery truth.

Once I held my breath
through your youth
waiting to exhale with your rise
from distressed denim confusion
to wool-blended, two-button wise.

Now, with sighs,
And loss of last illusions

we worry through the
rasp and gasp and wheeze

on our knees,

while Father breathes into your nostrils
the breath of life
like a cool and healing breeze.