—for Jason

I saw an x-ray of healthy
lungs, the bronchioles branching
out like a forest – bright white
branches against a dark sky. Instead
yours were wrapped in a fog so thick
it looked as if cotton had been stretched
throughout – a teenage TP prank run
wild. For 41 years you breathed
through the fog, sucked in wet
breath that reminded us everyday
you were drowning. The new
lungs you received were a forest
as thick as the Amazon – branches
reaching out, pulling oxygenated
air in for the three short weeks
you had them. Now your body
has returned to the earth, your remains
feeding a forest that will continue
to provide oxygen, that will give
others the air you fought so hard
to have.