Anxiety: A Poem on What Anxiety Really Is
They say anxious people
Have a head full of dreams
But let me tell you
Anxiety is not all what it seems
It’s not butterflies in your stomach
Or a rush of blood to your head
It’s a thousand pounding drums in your chest
The stuttering, muttering, mumbling
Of words your lips can’t expel
The beads of sweat breaking out on your brow
Then trickling down your cheek
Anxiety is desperately trying
To look strong when you’re undeniably weak
“I’m calm, I’m in control”
“I can do this” … No, no, no
“I’m not worthy at all”
And in between all your “what ifs”
You realize anxiety is just a thief
Stealing your joys, grinning slyly
As it jumps off your window
Breathe, breathe…
Every day you have a choice
Walk out of the house
Leaving your agitation by the door
Or collapse, curl up in a corner
And watch your teardrops splatter on the floor
Anxiety is not a flustered irritable being
It’s a person who may be worth knowing
A naked soul you wouldn’t blush when seeing
A heart wide open peeking through a trembling body
You can’t see all the quivering and shaking
You see, anxiety is often invisible
With all the colossal efforts a person is making
To stand tall, and say the right things
Which they often don’t, by the way
So if they choose to remain silent
Just know it’s for your own sake
It takes courage to love them
And more courage to keep this love awake
It’s hard work, confusing, perplexing,
But loving an anxious person may just be
the best mistake you’ll ever make
Follow this journey on Translationista.
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Unsplash photo via Mathias Reed