I hold my breath
The pause of anxiety
Stacked in layers
Tight segments
Up and down my throat
I can breath
but the next breath hesitates
It feels uncertain
The stress has a taken on
A life of its own

My soul surges to counter
That feels like panic
My voice internal is calm
I listen, I wait, I hope
Intellect please hold your own
Navigate this precarious tower
Keep it from collapsing
My next breath comes