Anguish
by Kirsti A. Dyer
It begins as an affliction in the center of my soul.
A scarcely detectable awareness.
A hungry gnawing sensation.
The feeling emerges slowly at first.
Barely perceptible.
A constant ache.
It begins to permeate, radiating to all levels from core to periphery.
Filling with agony and grief.
My hands begin to tremble in reaction to the pain.
I scream in anguish for it to stop.
It spreads, enlarging becoming all-consuming, ravaging.
Distilled to a searing, burning sensation.
Bowels turning, tearing.
Heart pounding, shattering.
The break point is reached,
I can endure no more.
Tears of anguish flow.
Sobs of grief,
Releasing some of the torment.
The pain subsides, but still lingers.
Barely perceptible.
Never abating.
Never leaving.
Ever present.
