Alone, broken, confused
Reliving my greatest fear
Tormented day and night
How do I sleep at night

Shattered soul
Trying to pick up the pieces
The days never end

c.m.l.

He asked her what it's like living with anxiety.

She smiled sadly, "It's a never-ending pulse-race. Like knowing you don't want to jump off a cliff but not being able to talk yourself down from it.

Your fears take on a nebulous, unidentifiable form that tightens around your throat and incapacitates you.

There is no calm. No peace. Only the edge of a very strained thread."

Hindi ko alam paano ko to sisimulan
Pero bawat gabi ako ay nadadatnan
Sa tanong na laging dumadaan
Dito sa sarili kong sugatan

Pero ang tanong na ito,
Ang laging nagpapahinto
Sa kasayahan kong di aabut nang minuto
Sa pag iisip ko, sino nga ba ako?

Napapaisip ako gabi gabi
Kung saan nga ba ako magsisisi
Ang hindi pag hanap sa katanungan kong tangi?
O balang araw malaman kong ano nga ba akung klase..

Ang mundung ito na malawak
Ay napakaraming tanong na hawak
Iba, mga kababalaghang di tiyak
Nasa kanila ba ang sagot kong tiyak?

Ano nga ba ako dito sa mundo
mag-aaral? anak? Kaibigan? Bestfriend? kalaro? Classmate? O Baka naman isang tagapayo
O baka wala lang talaga ako
Dito sa mundong tinitirhan ko

Baka isa lang akung extra?
Sa buhay ng iba,
Na mahalaga lang pag may problema
At wala nang kwenta pag lahat masaya

Baka nga ganon lang talaga ako
Dito sa mundong tinitirhan ko
Pero minsan sinasabi ko
Baka mahanap ko ang sagot ko dito

Sagot nang isang tanong ko
Sino nga ba talaga ako?

And his eyes will always show up where you least expect them...

In your dreams.

Are you okay?
Are you alright, are you fine, are you good?
Are you adequate, are you decent?
Are you emotionally stable, sleeping without crying, smiling because you want to?
Are you breathing without questioning, are you waking up without trying, are you eating without throwing up?
Are you reading this poem right now and thinking no?
Are you thinking for the first time, will I ever be okay?

You will be okay.
You will be alright, you will be fine, you will be good.
You will be adequate, you will be decent.
You will be emotionally stable, you will sleep without crying, and smile for the happiness blooming inside of you.
You will breathe without questioning, you will wake up to a new day, you will eat easily
You
are going to be okay.
So please smile sunshine
It’s a fine new day
To be okay :)

- a.g.

You can pretend
That the black gloss
On my lashes
Will glue my eyes shut-
Make me blind to truth;
To ‘true knowledge.’
Go ahead.
Tell yourself
That my red-painted lips
Only spout nonsense.
It will only make it sweeter
When my wing-lined eyes
Give you whiplash
as I walk past you
To get my degree;
My award;
My paycheck.
Maybe if you’re ‘nice’
I’ll buy you an ice pack.