The In And Out – 30th May 2026

~ shaun tenzenmen 
breathing 

      is really more important than the other in-and-outs,

      and it’s never consciously thought about
      until the final one, in that stark white hospital



room 

      where family sits together, in quiet grief.

      the empty shell cleaned, now unfurnished of blood,

      getting smaller and smaller and that



is 

      the way we all go after being, our undoing.

      all the stories that made us us, told you what we were,

      all connected by these little words



only 

      to be forgotten, not amounted to much, there

      may be others but just a few who scratch

      their name somewhere, to be seen to break through,



born 

      under the lights, to brightly shine, made all

      fresh and new, furnished again with blood.

      a tiny temple, a clean empty shell



with 

      first breaths made together, familiar families

     sit again in familiar rooms, in familiar places.

      going home with more to include, in this



space

      where new blossoms bloom, grass grows,

      streets lights wander up to the mountain skies

      where new stories are born in the twinkle of an eye.

Shared with dVerse MTB: taking a fine line down where I have reused the line ‘breathing room is only born with space’ from my own poem from a couple of days ago, ‘On The Usefulness Of Emptiness’. This line is then used as a word acrostic and each stanza defines (somewhat, in my case) the meaning of the word. The prompt and my write was inspired by Laura Bloomsbury’s poem ‘An unbundling’.

I started writing this thinking about my mother passing away on the other side of the world from me. My cousin was there holding her hand as she took her last struggling breath after a couple of years of suffering with COPD. This then unconsciously took a turn towards the circle of life.

Today’s Daily Stoic poem:

Working Hard Or Hardly Working?

Where is all the busyness taking you?
Is it really accomplishing very much?
You read and write, and work all night
Just to remain in place, as such

21 thoughts on “The In And Out – 30th May 2026”

    1. My mum and I had a deep love and respect for each other but we were never in each other’s pockets updating our lives once we were living on different continents. She told me not to come back when she was in the hospice. It was not how she wanted to be remembered. I had been to visit the year before, just when she was starting to struggle with her breathing.

      As might be expected, my son and I have a similar relationship now too.

      Thanks for your appreciation of the poem Di, it really got my brain focused for a while! 🙏

      Also – I noticed that I couldn’t comment on your entry. Not sure if that was by your design or not.

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      1. Your mum sounds amazingly brave and so glad that you had time with her and you and your son have a great bond. Sorry I am not sure what is happening with my site, certainly not by design. I changed the template and got a new computer and the whole thing has been a pain since then.

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  3. A poignant poem, Shaun; I’m so sorry for your loss. I like how you wrote about the in and out of breathing, which is indeed more important than the other in-and-outs ‘never consciously thought about until the final one’. I also love the enjambment, the way your poem flows, like Laura’s, and these lines:

    ‘all the stories that made us us, told you what we were,
    all connected by these little words’.

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  4. such a remarkable poem Shaun – in structure and poignancy of the lines that turn the circle on a lost life. Read and re-read for sheer pleasure asside from the loss – so sorry to hear of your mother’s death

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    1. Thank you Laura 🙏 As per all our circles of life, her passing saw me move around to the next part of the curve. And thanks for the inspiration with your write too. Sometimes I’m not sure how to start and so I read a few entries first and yours got my brain ticking clearly.

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  7. Shaun dear, sorry to hear of your mother’s passing. She was a brave one, I’m sure. And sure you inherited that from her. reading your poem made me aware of my own in and out of my own breathing. Cannot pick one line as as a whole the connection bloomed. Thanks, please be well. All the best to you in your corner of the world. Sending blessings.

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  8. You made this poem both personal and universal, a totality of what it means to be in this space we call life. Masterfully crafted, Shaun. A pleasure to read.

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