am i dead?

my lungs expand, i gasp for breath, my heart pounds within my chest

is this life?

it seems like i've never lived before this moment

i've had this feeling before

i have beheld the life coursing through my veins and marveled at its newness

but even that moment is a pale shadow compared to now

at first the moments were few and far between

each one a bright star in a dark sky to guide me

now they are coming closer together, the entire sky is changing

a whisper of the coming sun begins to dance within my head

each time this life awakes it makes me think that i've never lived

but now as i look to the east and i wait with hope and fear, i wonder...

am i dead?