You can fear it
Or embrace it
But never escape it.
The Darkness Came Slowly
The darkness came slowly.
Not a sudden eclipse
Or flip of a switch.
It was a long, slow sunset
To an unending twilight:
So gradual and quiet
You never noticed the dark
Until the sudden glare
As light broke through
Not Seeing
“Just tread water!” they cry,
Not seeing the concrete on her feet.
“It’s hopeless,” you sigh,
Not seeing the lever within reach.
“It’s perfect,” she cries,
Not seeing the blood on the gem.
“Just forget it,” he sighs,
Not seeing the opportunity then.
Anxiety’s Reign
A pressure in the chest –
Electricity and compression
Combined like lighting a fuse
And encasing the cannon’s end.
A struggle to breathe –
Pushing against a weight or
Speeding like fluttering wings
In a frantic race to nowhere.
A battle between needs –
Run, hide, rock, freeze, fight,
Cry, scream: pulling and pushing,
Everything necessary and now.
A storm in the mind –
Swirling, striking thoughts
Pecking, pacing, and repeating
Until all else hides or flees.
A pressure, a struggle,
A battle, a storm:
All needs, all now,
All nothing.
Memorial Day
A formal parade,
Solemn and steady;
A duet of trumpets,
Strong and sweet;
A blast of rifles,
Stark and strident.
A lazy morning,
Still and sleepy;
A bar and grill,
Strong and spicy;
A gathering of friends,
Smiling and sunny.
A day of remembrance:
A day off work:
A ritual for lost:
A welcome for summer.
A starkly flipping coin –
The remnants of the fight:
The reason for fighting.
When Mind And Heart War
When mind and heart war,
No amount of reason,
No mountain of evidence
Can surmount one ounce
Of emotion’s armory.
