Burning Burden

My bones are burning,
the ache- it grows.
I can feel the pain growing,
deeper and deeper into my soul.

I could tell you about the way
in which my chest feels heavy
or how my mind perceives it,
but what I could not explain
is the fear that it invokes in me.
Something so scary, yet
as steady as a stormy sea.

I’m both failing to breathe,
and breathing too much
that when I gasp for air
my lungs are already filled up.
I’m both falling
and flying
all at once-
So that when I brace for impact
my mind feels numb.

I am here,
with limbs carved
out of iron and stone
I am here,
with a heart beating
out of control