Fourteen anxious men,
fourteen pregnant women,
sit on the floor
in a bare room
on the third floor of the hospital,
work on their breathing.

Inhale, admit air,
feel it load up the lungs,
press against the ribs,
then let it go.

A woman stands at the open door,
toting her child,
comfortably, cozily,
as if having a baby
is as easy as applauding yourself.
Future first-time parents look up at her
like nervous college seniors
in awe of a recent graduate.

Then they return to their exercises,
more forceful, more deliberate,
than before.
They’ve just seen what can happen
when you breathe.