Breath

The lifesaving mannequin, Resusci Annie was created in the 1950s by the Norwegian toymaker Asmund Laerdal. The face was modeled on what was thought to be the death mask of an unknown young woman who drowned in the Seine in the 19th century. Known as L'Inconnue de la Seine her face became a muse to artists, writers and filmmakers.

Dragged lifeless from the Seine. Identity unknown,
her death-mask enigmatic, the fantasy begins.
Romantics, artists, voyeurs
dream their erotic ideal – eyes, mouth, lips.
The mannequin's face is perfect. She lies
naked in clear light. Tilting back her head,
he watches the throat arc as his mantra begins.

ABC – airway, breathing, compression.

He presses, counts a precise rhythm… and one...
and two... Breath moves. In. Out. Her chest rises, falls.
Queasy, she gasps, snatches at air. Spittle seeps
from a pallid mouth. She feels clay ooze
against her back. Inhaling her returning life,
Resusci Annie gazes onto a slow dreamscape,
limpid & far away...

© Sue Moss