Insidious bleakness, a fog
That swirls and shrouds
My body and mind
Weighing heavy on my limbs
Pressing me down
With unseen forces
Cold void of trauma and loss
Regrets and self doubt
Enveloping my soul
Smothering and quashing
Hope’s flame extinguished
Only smoking embers remain
Invisible pain, tight confines
Of restrictive swaddling
Concealing emotion
And impeding action
Suppression of breath
Suppression of self
Ice daggers pierce my heart
Puncture wounds seeping
Entirety of being, emptied
As life drips away
Drowning understanding
Empathy masked by ignorance