heat percolates
in grip of terror
(no) air
(no) breath
trapped stony silence
as stomach churns
up (down)
i step back
angling towards sea
(mis)slanted
(mis)take
feet searches for solid ground
so near, yet so far
heights twist my guts
to this white fear
vertigo
(un)hinged
(un)conquered,
a quicksand
i'm falling
down (up)
Acrophobia (from the Greek: ἄκρον, ákron , meaning "peak, summit, edge" and φόβος, phóbos, "fear") is an extreme or irrational fear or phobia of heights, especially when one is not particularly high up.
Written for D'verse Poets Pub- What are you afraid of? (Fear, phobias) Hosted by Mish. Pub opens at 3pm EST. Thanks for the visit!
Wow, even though I am not usually afraid of heights, the photo made me nervous! The "ups" and "downs" of this piece really put me in your shoes, feeling the agony of your fear.
ReplyDeleteI love this. Especially the ending. Also the stress/emphasis created by the parentheticals.
ReplyDeleteGreat title too. Well done.
This is absolutely raw and intense I could feel each line as I held my breath throughout the poem. Beautifully executed.
ReplyDeleteLots of love,
Sanaa
I remember, friend G, when my family and I were driving on a mountain trunk road once ... I was so terrified dat I made him stop the car and my 2 lil kids and I walked many kilometres all the way back to safety ... ya ... Love, cat.
ReplyDeleteLooking at that stairway is enough to make me dizzy. Your verse also has me Twisting and turning
ReplyDeletesMiLes.. i can honestly say
ReplyDeletethat in any given day
heights are my only
anxiety and my
only fear.. noW
as i suppose
i wanna live in
fAcT i aM sure i am
afraid of falling to death..
sure it makes sense to avoid
heights when we can.. as missteps
happen beyond
fear..:)
Amazing mind play. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThe photo is killer enough to induce vertigo. Hey, we dealt with the same fear--great minds & all that. I love the shape & feel of the piece; makes me short-of-breath.
ReplyDeleteEach stanza carried the intense fear as they descended to the end. Beautifully written. :)
ReplyDeleteHeights get to me too...and that photo, it kind of made my head spin just looking at it...where is up and where is down?
ReplyDeleteFantastic poem and the photo actually gives me vertigo....wow!
ReplyDeleteWow that photo is just amazing! And you caught the fear perfectly in your poem.
ReplyDeleteTopsy turvy a bit today as you went on your merry go round way haha
ReplyDeleteAwesome! BUT that photo really is deadly gorgeous. <3
ReplyDeleteOh Grace, I was there with you! I love the shape and staggering pace of the piece (and the use of parentheses) to create the feeling of vertigo. And what a stunning photograph!
ReplyDeleteGrace it is not an irrational fear, especially if your head won't let your body move to steadier ground. I do like the way you communicate not only the fear of heights but in general the way of all fear. Nicely done.
ReplyDeleteOoooh, I can so empathise with this feeling! A really vivid poem!
ReplyDeleteI fully feel this, but the irony is it's not the actually height we fear. It's the *falling* from it that scares the Dickens out of us. Excellent write!
ReplyDeleteheights ping me a bit,
ReplyDeletebut mostly in relation to my kids.
i have jumped off hundreds of feet, but put my boys
within ten feet of the edge, it cripples me.
Ooh, you've made my knees feel a little weak (and not in a good way, so to speak!).
ReplyDeleteGeez, that was just a picture and it made me dizzy. Great words to match a great picture. Thank you, as always. Have a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDeleteI share this fear and i have to say both pictures were made my stomach plummet...the photograph and the one your words painted quite clearly.
ReplyDeletelove your parenthesis that allow your words to mean more than one thing at a time.
ReplyDeletei feel the vivid agony and nerves, Grace. And I do have fear of heights too! :)
ReplyDeleteHeights are one of my biggest fears. Can't breath or move. Could never enjoy the beauty of the canyons for feat of falling. You took me there once again ..bkm
ReplyDeleteMy brother has fear of heights. :)
ReplyDeleteSo many little things to fear, it is no wonder great fears can take over.
ReplyDeleteI have some of these fears Grace !!
ReplyDeleteI love the shape and the wording of your poem... unsettling in itself; as it should be. The photo didn't hurt one bit. Yikes!
ReplyDelete