Salt is what heartbreak tastes like.

Salt is what a heart breaking tastes like
It comes in waves
A respite of peace one minute
Then a terrible crash of panic, loss, sadness, pain
For an instant, I am gulping only water
Salt water floods
Then a snap, “Breathe!”
CPR lessons - I remember to inhale.
“Don’t lose your way,” she gently reminds
I always wanted a soft place to fall
I landed hard too many times
It took years to realize the soft place is already within me
I lean back into my own safety 
The path is always clear here
The clarity air to my lungs
Relief
It’s not where the living is though
Opening my eyes, I scan the horizon and feel it all coming again, swelling 
I feel her too 
The me with exceptional free diving skills and a limitless capacity for air
Let’s go for a swim
TJH