what is fear?

is it the smell of smoke and ashes
with a raging fire over the hills?
it is a common misconception that
the flames take the lives of the majority
but actually, it’s the smoke that kills
yet we never make that a priority
due to the uniformity of
smoke detectors placed in our homes
to ease the apprehension

is it the sight of a car accident
over on the side of the interstate?
we know staring is a sin but
it’s as if we cannot look away
seems like the car was the
source of the flames
it’s evident that the girl will be
hospitalized until half past eight
so we stay and wait for some sort of update
but the ambulance is running late and
she can’t see straight; she’s in the hands of fate
but we take a deep breath when
ruby red and azure blue headlights
zoom past our peripheral vision
we take a deep breath
to ease the fear

is it the taste of your own blood
on your pale lips as you
lay paralyzed?
the medic was specialized in
handling events like this
but you envision the blurred profiles of
the loved ones you struggle to reminisce
and the amount of blood lost
was making you weak
not to mention the cut on your cheek that
made your skin even rosier than before.
and you, you are iron-woman
with only a little less iron in your veins
you are superwoman
breaking out of the chains that
hold you down
the hallucinations are almost over now
so the paramedic straps an oxygen mask
across your face
to ease your fear

is it the feeling of needles
poking and prodding,
heads shaking and nodding
as everyone talks about you but you?
every breath is a pain and
you could no longer feign a
contented expression
nothing but disdain remained
there was no such thing as comfort anymore
yet the anguish was something you
couldn’t even begin to ignore
so the doctors gave you a sedative
to ease your fear

is it the sound of your mother’s cries
that breaks the silence in the room
when your father begins to
wipe his own eyes?
“i know you love her,
but she won’t recover
unfortunately she’ll have to suffer”
is what the doctor muttered
underneath his breath
lord how he hated explaining death
so they all gifted you flowers
cards and compliments were showered
onto the hospital bed
but despite every effort
it was becoming more difficult to fetter
the fear that was now simply just
an aura
and everyone was looking for a
way to ease their worries
these flurries of fear could not be contained any longer

nevertheless; without fear,
there would be no such thing as bravery.