My breath rushed out of my lungs all at once,
an ocean of air flooding from my mouth.
Shock waves crashed over me.
The pure wonder that enveloped me was like
wind.
All sensation, with no time to think.
Just pressing,
flowing,
feeling.
In the moment I felt helpless.
Lost at sea,
wave after wave pounding,
pushing me from the surface.
Trying to breathe,
gasping,
flailing,
desperate.
Panic seized the depths of my mind,
each a sharp needle,
stabbing,
digging into the flesh of my brain.
I began to crumble from the weight of it all.
All of the expectations,
secrets,
lies,
mysteries,
everything.
Everything.
T­he weight of everything crushed me.
Dust to dust.
Nothing more.

My head came alive with whispers of excitement.
My heart beat to the rhythm of a chorus of drums
all in sync.
Electricity coursed through my veins,
replacing the blood.
Your eyes made me come alive with wonder.
Your smile made my stomach flood with the fluttering of a thousand butterflies.
Then you looked away.
The feeling faded,
as ink from an old, yellowed page.
My smile melted off of my face.
Tears trailed down my cheeks,
creating paths of pain.
You couldn't even look at me.
Couldn't bear to even glance in my direction,
as if just seeing my small, sloped frame caused you to crumble in waves of agony.
That realization,
that quick,
sure,
thought,
broke me to pieces.
Shattered me as if I was no more than a glass girl.
And I suppose that is what I am.
A fractured piece of glass in a world that was made to break me.