ANXIETY (a poem)

Feel it through your veins,
The mighty rush of your blood:
An emotion undulating and spreading,                                                 A virus that is you and no one else.

Your heart, palpitating like a drum,                                                       And your lungs, wings like butterflies;                                                 Your stomach in knots, and hands
like oil: Feel it roil right through you.

You wait for the perfect moment,                                                           Unsure of when it will come.
Feel your body ache, and your mind                                                     Tighten. This may never go away.

You climb higher, hoping, praying                                                         For release. But you can’t close your                                                 Eyes, no matter how hard you try.                                                     Feel its hook that won’t let you go.

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AN EXPLANATION.

Santa Ynez Mountains, California (October 2016) Yes, I am doing something quite stupid in this picture. This is an abandoned home on a mountaintop, and I’m standing on easily collapsible stone…

This is a poem I wrote for a creative writing class in October 2018, so not that long ago. At this time, I was struggling with bouts of nervous energy, here and there, and when the assignment came about to “write a poem about your day-to-day existence,” this little guy was borne.

However, I believe this poem can connect to anyone, since we all face moments of self-doubt and confusion as to who we are and why we are placed in the situations that cause us pain. It is easy to forget that everyone experiences these emotions, even when we are taught to smile and bear our struggles in silence.

Looking back, I find this to be an interesting poem that channels what I was feeling when I wrote it. It is relevant to when I have these moments of anxious energy bubbling up beneath my skin, and therefore I wanted to share it with you guys!

I hope you are all doing well wherever you are in this great world of ours. It is rainy here in Southern California as I write this, and I am amazed by how amazing weather can be. Anyway, I will post on Monday, so check out for the next rant from me.

Until next time,

-K. 🙂