My shallow breath catches itself on the lung,
shocking my life rhythm into scattered beats,
and laying waste to the calm.

Dusty memories catch the wind,
losing their antiquity and learning vibrancy,
all the while, staring across an unlit hall,
where I have kept them for lack of a better place.

Uncharacteristic beams of late summer
blast through the lenses
with which I view the world,
startling my sleeping soul,
unearthing my sinking feet.

I had a dream like this,
but it was soon over,
thanks, or no-thanks,
to the heart I wear on my sleeve.

Somewhere on the surface,
a bump raises itself
and rouses its kin,
forming a new shape out of me.

My hunger is not for food,
and my promise is not to stay,
yet a change this late in the day,
could still be swayed.

Brevity is a tormentor of lovers,
and I am not immune to its trademark aching.
Given, I will ache some more,
but not in vain.

Unfolding before me is a quest,
the likes of which, I have never seen.
And with the work behind,
I am armed.

Challenge accepted.