I hold my breath
The pause of anxiety
Stacked in layers
Tight segments
Up and down my throat

I can breathe
But the next breath comes alive
Out of my control
It hesitates
It senses itself
Stress has taken it over

I am fractured
My soul surges to counter
The uncertainty
That panicked feeling
My voice internal is muted
So with unknit pieces
I listen, I wait, I hope

I beg my remaining intellect
"Please hold your own"
I plead with my nervous system
"Reform this precarious column"
Settle my skull, my chest, my bowels
Don't collapse
Breathe

My next breath comes