Inhale

Jonathan Valania

In—

One—

Two—

Three—

Out…


The mantra I whisper

as my lonely breath releases its grip

on what little oxygen remains.


With each inhale,

my lungs inflate—

and I wish for peace.

Even if peace feels foreign,

it should be instinct.

That warm, quiet comfort

we’re all meant to know.


But the cuts,

the bruises,

the scrapes—

they’ve left mine

incomplete.


And I keep wondering

when my brain will remember

its natural rhythm—

when the breath won’t hitch,

when the air won’t ache,

when the heart won’t feel like winter.


I’m just trying

to find the shape

of something like

a happy home.

 

Read the Next Poem 

The Truth

 

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Letters I'll Never Send

It started with evidence—court documents, voicemails, and text messages meant to prove what was done behind closed doors. But somewhere in the quiet aftermath, it became something else. A record. A release. A slow, sacred beginning.

Letters I’ll Never Send is a poetry and prose collection drawn from the wreckage of an abusive relationship. These pages hold what was never safe to say out loud—fury, sorrow, confusion, love twisted by fear. It’s not a story wrapped in resolution. It’s what healing sounds like when you’re still in the middle.

The print edition includes exclusive poems and reflections not found online. A portion of proceeds goes toward supporting survivors of domestic abuse.

This book isn’t just for the ones who escaped.

It’s for anyone learning how to live after.