we breathe

a horrible poem

By L.C. SchäferPublished 3 months ago • 2 min read

Top Story - July 2026

Photo by Gabriel Tovar on Unsplash

we breathe

we sweat

we piss

we stink

we breathe

we hunger

we thirst

we squash

we fart

we breathe

we wait

we drown

we ache

we die

we breathe

cheek

by jowl. foot

by face. nose

by arse. by shoulder

by mouth by elbow by lips

by knees by flesh by tears by snot

by sandal by shield by armour by spear

by hide by wood by bronze by sword by eye

by piss by hair by bones by bones by aching bones

no room

for me

or him

or that

or that

pressed in anyway

no room

for sound

for fear

for rest

for light

for comfort

no room

to breathe

oh gods

we breathe

we hope

despair

we shift

the air! the air!

we wheeze

we crush

we gasp

we scowl

we shhh!

it creaks

the wood

the horse

the unseen stars

the sea

the sand

the years

the yawning years

we creak

our bones

our souls

our jaws

clamped tight

no sound

no sound allowed

we plan

we lie

we lie in wait

we trick

we die

we move!!

we shhh

it moves

it creaks

we flex

we drop

we creep

we kill

we bleed

we die

we rape

we burn

we win

we sleep

it creaks

we quake

the dark

too close

eyelids stifling

memories waking

bodies pleated, leaking,

dying breathing gurgling

it creaks

the horse

the waves

the endless dread

that should have died

in the fires of Troy

Thank you for reading!

If you cannot guess - this is inspired by recent film adaptaion, The Odyssey, particularly the scene where the soldiers are "hiding" inside the horse. That was the scene that stayed with me.

As a child, when I heard the story, I vaguely imagined the soldiers hiding, like it was a game of hide and seek, a trick (tee hee!) But nope - packed in like cargo, bodies overlapping. The film portryed this so well, and, possibly ironically, really brought the point home.

Didn't beat this one though.

And yes, I was the dork whispering "un cadeux!" and trying not to giggle.

fact or fiction Stream of Consciousness