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.