i'm surrounded in a tight wrap of coldness
the air is tight
the water low
there's nowhere to go
if only i could break through the surface
swim up
or out
or somewhere, with purpose
i’m pulled even lower
and my head abides
i sneak a vast breath
as my whole world divides
i want out
i want through
it won’t end
it must do
i breathe in
and notice
the water
i win
i am calm
the waves slow down
i feel my breath
as my feet hit the ground
Artist Statement: This poem is inspired particularly by anxiety and how our immense, overwhelming feelings become so realistic and act as a trap on us. This poem is set in the water as water is a place of extreme density and pressure, which I think pretty closely resembles feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or in other cases of anxious energy. I attempt to highlight, at the end of the poem, that, in many cases, we have to settle with anxious thoughts and learn to be okay with them. Our “feet hit the ground” once we realize what we are experiencing and try to find a way through it (captivated by the phrase “I win” - as in, I beat anxiety).
the air is tight
the water low
there's nowhere to go
if only i could break through the surface
swim up
or out
or somewhere, with purpose
i’m pulled even lower
and my head abides
i sneak a vast breath
as my whole world divides
i want out
i want through
it won’t end
it must do
i breathe in
and notice
the water
i win
i am calm
the waves slow down
i feel my breath
as my feet hit the ground
Artist Statement: This poem is inspired particularly by anxiety and how our immense, overwhelming feelings become so realistic and act as a trap on us. This poem is set in the water as water is a place of extreme density and pressure, which I think pretty closely resembles feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or in other cases of anxious energy. I attempt to highlight, at the end of the poem, that, in many cases, we have to settle with anxious thoughts and learn to be okay with them. Our “feet hit the ground” once we realize what we are experiencing and try to find a way through it (captivated by the phrase “I win” - as in, I beat anxiety).
