Powerlessness is a toxin that spreads within seconds, corroding any sense of security or joy and leaving absolute terror in its wake.
The squeeze of the heart, the turn of the stomach; mere alarms ringing in the background of a greater siren: the brain sensing imminent danger.
Once activated, it screams incessantly, demanding action be taken to fix the situation and disarm the threat.
So you search, if you can, to locate the source. To find whoever tripped the wire and raised the red flag.
Then, the realization you’re unable to find it sets in, and the attempt to reclaim power in the face of fear crumbles within you like a rotten heap.
Yet, though suddenly isolated, you’re still not alone. Doubt, shame, and confusion have joined the fray, screaming into your ear the absolute failure of your recognition.
The heart continues to twist as the senses burn with hypervigilance; the stomach gone cold to cut off force-fed uncertainty.
And still it lingers, feeding off the shadows at the back of your mind.
Am I safe? you ask yourself. I don’t know, you reply.
