I’ve struggled with panic disorder for years now. I like to believe that I am stronger than the disease; that my toolbox is fillled with potent strategies. But after a few hard days the confidence can start to erode. That is what this poem is about.

I wrote this little haiku shortly before I left social media.

While camping with my wife last summer I was awoken by a sound I couldn't identify. I walked deeper into the woods and found, in the beam of my flashlight, a gathering of owls staring down at me with large, alien eyes. I felt elated to see these magnificent birds in the wild, but knew that I was trespassing on a gathering I couldn't fully understand.

I have been working to find my voice in haiku and tanka poetry. I would love to share and discuss how to grow as a poet.