My Heart Opened and Took in Every Black Poison the Morning Could Offer

I turned away from her for a moment and began to breathe in slowly. The diffuse cones of smog from neighbouring chimneys began to divert their journey, gathering forces above my head. My nostrils flared as I began to vacuum that darkness in. Chimney smoke rippled and swirled with industrial vapours, traffic fumes and steam from extractor hoods of all the E14 households gathered at a meeting point, just above our historical kissing landmark, now a maelstrom of dark clouds, chemical hoofbeats, closing in.

I felt no need to stop, no pressure in my chest, so continued to inhale, accepting this pollution into myself. Telephone poles, television aerials, weather stations and other roof peripherals began to rattle in their moorings, invited to what was promising to be a most unforgettable party. Pigeons were becoming ensnared and confused by the thick mass in the sky, the cloud's kinetic force appearing to suffocate the birds' efforts to flap away into the clear morning sky.

I breathed in those pigeons, feeling the sting of their beaks in my nostrils. I inhaled the aerials, cables, anything not cemented in place. Wires whipped the sides of my face as they funnelled their way into my lungs with the grace of an Eastern Dervish. Every speck of blackness, of poison, of thick pollutive smog was now nestled in my chest, comforted by the black diamond of my heart.

The sky was clear and peaceful now. A perfect morning for the sun to wake up to. I touched her shoulder lightly to attract her attention and her face turned to meet mine.

 I pursed my lips and let everything out.