I wake with it eating my stomach.
The gnawing feeling itches my skin.
With gritted teeth, I clench my moistening eyes shut.
My throbbing pulse quickens in my ears.
I suck in jagged breaths to keep it from creeping in.

Fear has begun.

It sits with me all day.
As if screaming in my ear, its presence demands to be known.
Like a thorn, it pokes every instant of potential neglect.
No one can see it, yet I know it’s always there.
It strikes in my most vulnerable of moments.

Fear has spread.

I don’t know how much more of it I can take.
It consumes every second of my life.
The end to yet another day strengthens its power over me.
Every breath has led to this:
The end.

Fear has won.