Exertion

Heat singes the skin, muscles burning.
Air is suppressed, thoughts churning.
Euphoria visits in the throes of pain,
Plunging daggers of clarity to the brain.
This will heal, I will persevere, The notion of quitting nevertheless endures.
The shaking gives way to prolapse.
Breathing becomes mandatory, fading fast.
Five push-ups down, five to go.