“Whispers In the Dark” by Peyton Christensen

A voice in my ear, a whisper of anxiety,

Calm but unrelenting, stoking my anxiety.

It threads itself through my mind like a dark thread,

transforming my anxieties into fearsome beasts.

My heart beats too quickly and frantically,

 trapped in a future that is too similar to the past.

In my thoughts, a thousand “what-ifs” grow, 

with illusive answers that are too convoluted to locate.

I try to find silence, but it’s not there.

In the daylight, it breaks like glass.

I stand motionless as the world around me changes.

I can’t seem to slay the hostage of my thoughts.

However, there is a brief period of calm and a change in the tide 

someplace beyond this internal storm.

I take a single, deep breath to ease the tension 

in my chest and breathe in the silence.

Though I still feel anxious, 

I refuse to follow orders and take one more step, 

figuring things out on my own.