Struggling for Air

By Bernard John Abraham

I’ve taken on a new addiction.
I gasp for breath,
hanging in limbo, wanting to die.
The clouds surround me
I’m scared, gripped by fear.

Guess I’m afraid to face my own demons after all.
What they thought was a fortress is a castle of sand
Crumbling down as the waves of anguish,
Crashing down against my shores.

I feel the pressure crushing my being.
I hope it would, and fast!
For maybe somewhere down there, peace awaits.
Maybe the writhing would cease, the torment gone.
Where I would be stoic but serene.
Maybe that darkness would be my heaven,
A still silence engulfing my soul,
Where I gasp for breath no more.