Courageously

I used to tell myself,

“Just stand in front of those twenty people,

And talk as if you were home,

The air comforting you as you rant.”

But it never seems to work

For the anxiety is screaming inside of me,

Forcing me to beg for mercy

The feeling of hands grip my throat

When I try to have a say in front of a

Crowd

My hands drip with sweat,

And tears tumble to the floor

As I raise my hand to ask a simple question:

“May I go to the restroom?”

My legs shiver as I stand to leave,

The hall pass shaking under my care

My head pounds

Screaming out the words “How dare you?!

Leaving the room for this? Darling this is shameful.”

I'm drowning myself in hatred,

For I am in a stall

In a restroom

Anxiety is an evil

That is incredibly stubborn,

An evil that will not accept

To be tamed;

Listening to the whispers of the defiant

Wild

Is feeding the anxiety

So please,

As we speak no evil

And see no evil,

Begin to hear no evil;

Then courage will take your hand

As flowers begin to bloom in the winter