I Can’t Breathe

Healing through Art Poonam Bhatia, MD August 28, 2024 0 Comments

I Can’t Breathe
Written by
Dr. Poonam Bhatia

I can’t breathe

I heard this familiar chant from outside of myself today
Hallucination or a reality
Is it my pain that is echoed in your keening
A universal reckoning
The refrain getting louder
It will be silenced no more

For years my brain screamed into the silence
For years my body was trapped in this agonizing pain
You kept me quiet and unseen
Suffocating me and shutting down my throat
That knee hard and unforgiving
Ripping out this bleeding heart
A gnarly hand reaching to grab and twist my innards
Searing hot pain as my limbs are torn apart

A stifled cry
A quivering sigh

I heard this familiar chant from outside of myself today
Am I hallucinating or is it reality
Is my pain really echoed in your keening
A universal reckoning
Its refrain getting louder
that will be silenced no more

But for now, right at this moment
Air still flows in and out of me
I. Am. Alive

Willed by the Divine
Without any say
not mine nor yours
I am being breathed
Lovingly gently
Moment by moment
Until my purpose fulfilled

And until I can’t

I breathe…..

Author

Poonam Bhatia, MD (Author)

I am an empathic physician focusing on the creation of health while simultaneously treating illness.I am passionate about helping my patients feel empowered and actively involved in their own healing. Along with standard of care cutting edge medicine I also harness the body's innate ability to heal by the use of breath work, self-inquiry, spirituality, and the support of community.I aim to create vibrant health and wellness for individuals and community alike to thrive. I am humbled to help those who serve our country.

Dr. Poonam P. Bhatia is a family medicine doctor in San Diego, California and is affiliated with Naval Medical Center San Diego. She received her medical degree from B.J. Medical College - University of Pune and has been in practice for more than 20 years.

To learn more about Dr. Bhatia, follow her on LinkedIn (Poonam Bhatia, MD).

Family Medicine & Integrative Medicine Physician

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