The Room Is Closing In
The room is closing in.
It starts like it always does-
a whisper,
a prickle under my skin,
a thought I wasn’t supposed to have.
But now it’s here,
and it won’t leave.
The room is closing in.
My chest is a locked door,
and someone’s thrown away the key.
Breathing feels borrowed,
my ribs caving in
like a house sinking into itself.
I claw at the edges of calm,
but my hands find nothing.
The room is closing in.
It clings to my spine,
a second shadow that twists and tightens.
My pulse races like it’s trying to outrun me.
It wins every time.
And I am left,
stumbling after myself.
The room is closing in.
The walls pulse like a heartbeat,
steady and relentless,
but it isn’t mine.
The air tastes wrong-
sharp, metallic, sour-
like it was made for someone else.
The room is closing in.
Every sound is sharp,
every voice a razor.
I am the spotlight and the shadow.
I am too much and not enough.
They’re looking, aren’t they?
Even when they aren’t,
I swear they’re looking.
The room is closing in.
My body betrays me,
a traitor I can’t escape.
My hands shake-
a seismic warning.
My legs?
Cemented to the floor,
but somehow still falling.
The room is closing in.
It always ends the same way-
not with a scream,
but with silence.
The kind that fills your ears
like static,
like proof you’ve disappeared
from the inside out.
The room is closing in.
And when it finally stops,
I know it hasn’t.
It’s just waiting,
patient,
for the next time
I think I’m safe.
This poem is incredibly powerful and evocative. The repetition of 'The room is closing in' creates such a strong sense of tension, almost like the reader is experiencing it alongside the speaker. I can really feel the suffocating, claustrophobic nature of the anxiety being described. The metaphors, like the sinking house and the body betraying its owner, are so striking and bring the experience to life in such a visceral way. It’s haunting how the poem ends with that quiet, inevitable return of the feeling—like it’s never truly gone, just waiting for the next time. I love how you captured that cycle of inner turmoil and the constant battle with yourself. Really amazing work.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Harsh! And thank you for noticing the little details, means a lot 💛
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