by DawnMcGrath | Jan 14, 2020 | Trapped in an Air Pocket
Sometimes the wave takes me by surprise. Maybe I had my back to the water while watching my family playing on the sand. In the next moment, I’m knocked down, my source of oxygen removed. My mind and body tumble like rocks in the tumultuous surf. Fight or flight...
by DawnMcGrath | Oct 13, 2019 | Trapped in an Air Pocket
Trapped in an air pocket, coherence afloat in toxicity. Tolerate. Expand, don’t burst. Fragile but fertile. Seeds of doubt grow fears like towering redwood. Fly or float. Hover between ascents to oxygen debt and drops to pressurized depths. Evade jagged edges,...
by DawnMcGrath | Sep 18, 2019 | Trapped in an Air Pocket
What does it feel like to function with anxiety and depression? Walking around with sandbags on my shoulders in a steady state of weariness. Negative trains of thought that never seem to arrive at a station A constant battle between hope and hopelessness Self-loathing...
by DawnMcGrath | Jul 9, 2019 | Trapped in an Air Pocket
I hate that quilt Despite its comfort. Sown with secrets, truths, imperfections filaments of acceptance Once a cape I soared in its splendor. Laughter, companionship, A proud patchwork of inimitable patterning Once a blanket I wrapped myself in its warmth. Soft,...
by DawnMcGrath | Jul 1, 2019 | Trapped in an Air Pocket
I woke later than usual due to a round with physical pain in the early morning hours. Since childhood, I have experienced random waves of excruciating cramps lasting anywhere from five minutes to an hour. While it was likely not my first experience, in my first memory...
by DawnMcGrath | Jun 25, 2019 | Trapped in an Air Pocket
“It’s just hair,” my wife insisted. She couldn’t understand why I was paralyzed with indecision when the cut was something I clearly wanted. But it wasn’t just hair; it was a landmark decision. It called upon my past and put me on...
