Do they know, what it’s like?
Visuals emerge, inside my head…

People everywhere, pushing,
No one watching, no one caring.
My throat…closing.
Suffocation. Anxiety.

The noise - there’s too much.

Screaming, laughing, yelling,
It fills every space in my mind.
I have no escape.
Claustrophobia. Anxiety.

They’re everywhere I turn…

Those noticing ask, are you okay?
Everyone looks at me. Stop staring!!
I can’t breathe...something’s rising inside.
Anger. Embarrassment. Anxiety.

There’s no where to go, no place to run.

Questions, Questions, Questions…
Why? Why not? You have to…
The pressure, the force –  it's building within.
Overwhelmed. Ashamed. Anxiety.

Do you really know, what it’s like?

Be thankful you don’t walk,
Even a mile in these shoes.
Because then you might understand,
What it’s like, to have to choose...

Alone in my empty home,
Because I just couldn’t embrace,
A tradition in which family partakes...
No Stampede Breakfast, just isolation.
Sadness. Depression. Anxiety.

Do they really know…..what it’s like?