I Can Not Catch My Breath

National Poetry Month, #NatPoWriMo day 7

I keep losing this chess match of worst case scenario
Every move eventually leads to checkmate
or
death
Each butterfly effect leads to a different disaster
I can not seem to catch my
breath
The easiest answer is to just not play
To put the game away
To not attend
Then I will not have to pretend
I will not have to put on my face
Or worry if I am the epitome of polite society
and
grace
I am not concerned with one awkward moment or phrase
Though that will play on repeat for at least a few days
My heart crashes against my chest and reverberates in my brain
I cannot move my body
It is as though I’ve been slain
My hands are full of clams and my mouth is full of pennies
I really can not catch my
breath
There are things much worse than death
The hyperventilation begins
The world is crashing all around
Everything turns dark
There is no way out
I’m trapped
In this skin
In this place
In this world
I just want it to end

This poem was in response to the National Poetry Month Challenge prompt of writing an emotive poem. For my purposes, I sure hope anxiety qualifies as an emotion. The challenge can be found here: https://medium.com/the-pom/a-month-long-writing-challenge-163a43c72d07

Related posts:

Out of all the exciting developments in web design and upgrades to make browsing a more user-friendly experience, one of the most useful is dynamic website design. Dynamic websites bring more…

What is a brand identity and why does it matter? Marketing creates this identity. Learn how to create a unique brand identity for your business.

We are looking to combine our first and second mortgage on our home. current first approx. $80,000 current second approx $60,000 house value @ $165,000 would also like to have a little cusion in the…