Where should I begin?
Slender, spikey limbs—
shaking, twitching, grasping;
hitching breaths, gasping.
Grinding every gear,
humming in my ears;
black shadows swirling,
darkness unfurling.
In control, she gloats—
lodged lump in my throat;
sweat slicks down my palms,
anything but calm.
Mind steady racing,
outward I’m pacing;
inside I’m frozen,
no choices open.
Pray for it to end,
my mind starts to bend;
wish her far away,
restricted airway.
Outside, no one knows;
they feel the winds blow—
my storm keeps brewing,
my nails I’m chewing.
No help but a pill
to deny her will;
as I drift so deep,
sanity in sleep.
Clear morning sunshine,
clarity to find;
roll out on two wheels—
she’s hard on my heels.
Breathe in and breathe out,
chase away my doubts;
her grasp starts to slip,
movement fouls her grip.
My heart, free at last,
lets go of my past;
mind banishes fear—
holds no power here.
Author’s Note:
This collection gives shape to the hard things—wounds, fears, and habits that masquerade as protection.
They’re not monsters in the dark. They’re reflections of what still aches to be seen.
—Liora
We all carry something that rattles in the dark.
What do you think yours might be trying to tell you?
This piece is part of my Embodied Shadows collection — an ongoing experiment in turning emotion into form.
Consider it my petri dish.
Right now, the doors are still open — everything in this series is free to read for a limited time while I build the next phase. But soon, these shadows will tuck themselves behind the paywall where they belong.
If the work resonates with you, now’s the time to explore it all — or join me as a paid subscriber to stay with the series as it evolves.
I’ll soon be releasing Inside the Poem paid companions to all of these works, which include reflections and inspirations for the poems and voice readings!
Read more from this collection:
Well described Liora. There is such delicate balance between overstating and underestimating, but you wrote with flair giving ground to feelings so raw, so real and so deep. 🦋
As someone who has at times experienced issues with anxiety, I can really relate to some of what you're describing, but you've used your experience of it to create something that reads wonderfully well and really has a deep and forceful impact. A wonderful piece of poetry.