The sense of being overwhelmed
dawns on me slowly,
An emotional iceberg submerged
In the ocean,
breeches the hull,
floods my thick skull.
A foreign power drowns all resistance,
points icy fingers at hidden weakness,
Overwhelms what’s left of a fragile peace.
I run for a life boat, find only one,
taste salt on my tongue,
wonder how this mountain of ice
cracked
open my head.
With fears growing, I struggle on board,
launch in the dark,
reeling in shame.
Identity drowns under obligations
anchored by numerous expectations,
the fast, cold current, pulls me under,
washes away remnants of self.
Surprised by emotions I didn’t see coming.
Angered by threats of personal destruction,
Disappointed by empathy held in suspense,
Wrapped in a fantasy of the ultimate fixer,
I work without tools.
Sadness overwhelms actions long put off.
Hurt petrifies self-defense.
I dive into places unsafe to inhabit.
I live for comfort, seek easy answers. Now,
trapped in freezing waters I plea for help.
I sit with memories of sailing freely,
Veiled in doubt.
Words don’t answer, seem unreliable.
I dig at scabs covering my heart
Obtain brief relief from what seeps out.
Bleeding – a temporary distraction,
healing illusory, I
Sleep without dreaming.
Float in starless seas,
as images surface prescribing new meaning,
I wake to check signs of continued breathing.
Overdone
Overdosed on what may come,
Overwhelmed by too many tasks
and sinking fast.
THH
7/15/25
Revised 7/16/25
Thoughts Have Hands 