The weight of expectation
crushes as it wraps
around and feeds
the fear of failure
that grows with each
misstep.
The prospect of relief
is lost as reality
bites, whether true
or imagined.
The burden of judgment,
denied by tongues yet
seen in eyes,
defeats and pushes
down.
Where despair threatens
to drown with a sea
of inadequacy
and anxiety colours
all attempts
to rise.
I wait.
Until there is nowhere
left to go,
but up.
© Sara Murray, 9 June 2016
Sharing with What I’m Writing and Prose for Thought.
Love it. A lovely quiet triumphalism to the end there. And a belief that the time will come.
Thank you Cara, my husband described it as grim. I prefer your thoughts :)
I love the sparseness of the language giving such weight to the feeling. Very powerful.
Thank you very much Louise x
Love this! No matter how bleak things may seem there is really only one way to go. Wonderfully written x
Thank you Becky x
Lovely wise words.
All we can do is wait until the tide turns.
Great writing.
Thank you so much x
Just beautiful.
Thank you x
All the way through this I was thinking ‘oh no!’ – not because it wasn’t well written (it was – as always!) but because I really felt for you. The ending gave me a lift though – you are right, the only way is up. I hope you’re going in that direction now. xxx Thanks for linking to #WhatImWriting
Thank you Maddy, feeling more positive than I was a few weeks ago. I’d had a bad day, but writing this made me feel much better x
This spoke to me really deeply. It summed up how I felt when in the depths of my anxiety and how I finally surfaced to face life again. Thank you for writing this.
Thank you for such a lovely comment, I’m glad (sort of!) that it resonated, nice to know I’m not alone x
WOW. The only way is up darling lady. Sending love xxx
Thank you Renee xx
Very beautifully written, I also noticed the symmetry in the way you set out the lines of this poem. Since I began blogging in February It’s been so cool to read and interact with peotry again! The only way is up- you’re right! #whatimwriting
Thank you very much. When I started blogging I never thought I’d find myself reading and writing poetry. I love it :)
I’ve just read this poem four times and felt a different emotion each time… Anyone who has ever suffered with anxiety at any point in time can relate to this… Mostly today I am thinking of my son and his anxiety but I’ve been here too, and sure I’ll return again. Love the hope in the last line. x
Thank you very much Rachael, I’m sad and glad, at the same time, that it resonated x
I really enjoyed this, visually it really appealed to me as well as lyrically. I read this in mind of current issues in the UK and it really spoke to me. Loved the flow, and I loved that it could be interpreted in a variety of ways. Powerful. #Prose4T
Thank you, it’s very interesting that it fits so well with the issues in the UK, not something that I anticipated when I wrote it!
When I first read this to me it pretty much summed up the state of the country right now. The only way for us is up now then when I reread it it became a bit more personal. #prose4t
Thank you Tracey, and yes, the only way is up x
As I read this, you can feel the downward spiral and I was wondering how it was going to relate to the prompt word – but I could completely see that at the end. Very clever and beautifully written. Thank you for linking to Prose for Thought :) x