My heart beats louder like the clatter of horse hoofs on a concrete road. Constantly picking up speed but staying rhythmic in its beat. My hands start to warm and bead up with microscopic drops of sweat between each digit. There’s a sudden wave of heat rolling down from my ears to my legs bringing with it a sensation of burning from the outside in. While the hairs on my neck start to stand at attention as if they are waiting to be called upon individually. My lungs start to expand faster and faster pulling every bit of oxygen it can from the room like the air is getting thin.
And then it stops.
My hands relax and become as still as a calm summer day. I start to breathe normal and I can feel my whole body depressurize in an instant. The relief that comes over me is bittersweet. This is just a small fragment of reality that has paused for me to become more aware of the situation. It is permanent like a rose freshly picked from a garden. So beautiful and so much potential but cut short by being snipped from its home. It unravels to display it’s brilliance to only wilt and turn dry.
The moment fades. The rose falls crumpled to the floor gathering dust quickly. Reminding me that time will fade everything.
I breathe. I breathe again.