Tremors

Flashback, shallow rapid breaths

Sweaty palms, bare fluorescent bulbs overhead.

Shadows, cold, unfamiliar faces

Whispering an unlearned, foreign language. 

Chanting short, rhythmic sounds

From every direction, my eyes dart around. 

Searching, terrified am I

Gone is the one; he’s gone from my side.

Thump, thump, pounding in my chest,

Surely everyone can see me in my distress. 

Rain rolls, slowly down my cheeks

My soul’s windows, it seems, have sprung a leak. 

Whack, whack, salt water hits cement

This occurrence has brought me back to present.

Lost still, struggle to catch my breath 

I raise my hand to calm the pounds in my chest. 

Same lights are bright above my head

Now familiar faces and sounds recognize what’s said. 

Harsh truth I see once ignored

The realization of that has left me floored. 

Mouth moves, but chords are silenced

The air within removed with unspeakable violence. 

Tremors rise and fall

Like a statue, I remain through it all. 

My life torn thrice again

Between what is, what was, and what might have been.