Best Anxious Poems
IV
A soul was broken to make room
For dusty halls and labyrinths.
A gossamer, nylon bed-sheet shroud
Enwraps the remnants of that mind.
And no excuses can be made;
This disease does not justify that one.
I do not sleep deeply, I do not wake easily,
I dream of cities built on sand,
Next to the swelling sea.
Oh, they should have lasted.
Why should they fall?
I dream of timber horses,
Brought between those city walls.
We should have known; we should have known better.
III
But, I am not an honest mystic;
Beware what you ask of me.
I will show truths within the liar's tapestry.
But, you will not believe; no, you cannot believe.
II
I howled for my motherland
When the mutiny began.
I heard the cry of treason; heard the cry and ran.
I saw blood be spilled,
Some of it my own, then
Felt the rest boil, that this could happen in my home.
I saw the battle through, until the very end,
Then wished the traitors pardoned,
Because they were my friends.
I
I cannot tell the difference
Between the sleeping and the dead,
So, I will dole out blankets, and keep the kettle on.
The streets are cracked and dirty,
And they all appear the same:
Shattered glass and roofing tacks
Where I place my bare and weary feet.
I don't want to go on.
But, I must rebuild; I must rebuild.
I have no grass to lay,
The trees and flowers will not grow,
So, I shall use nothing, but mortar, brick, and stone.
It's not the same; it is not the same,
But, I shall call it home.
I watch anxiety play across her face
my heart lurching
my insides upheaval laden
somewhere in the misty consciousness
it dawns
she carries my heart
and I weep
for there's no room to keep
the worry at bay
"I just think...this world is too hard a place for me."
I hear my own words reechoed
from a younger voice
a younger version of me
how can it be?
how can it be?
I thought she had more of him than of me
his calmness
his laissez faire fanfare of confidence
"let things happen as they will" exuberance
The..."don't obsess
no internal mess" productivity
It's not to be....
she carries my heart, I see
her voluptuous figure eaten away
to a size she's always wanted
but not from diet discipline
or extremes of exercise
not this time...
"I'm anxious, Mama."
What can I say?
My carefully crafted confidence in her
for being a stronger woman
than I've ever been or could ever be
is hit at the core...foundations shaken
Oh...why must she be
so much like me
and in secret, I weep
for the daughter who must keep
a heart
too sensitive, too weak
for a world
belligerent....bleak
"I'm anxious....
I'm anxious, Mama"
And I'm left with a week
before she goes away
to pull my wits about me
to know what to say
to fill her with strength
pulling on the reserves of sanity
still left to me
to set her free
Oh...to set her FREE
and let that anxiety
settle....settle...settle
enshrouding not her
but only...
......me
Eileen Manassian
should joy or gratitude I find
and dance with them in dreams of bliss
dark anxious whispers will remind
that dangers lurk in hiddenness
12/29/2018
"Fear is a slinking cat I find beneath the lilacs of my mind." - Sophie Tunnell
Soul is weary
Heavy heart's dreary
Breastbone crushing resuscitation
Pressing rhythms flatline
A moldering past
Alas—a day to die for
Comatose agonies of turbulent currents, in breathless shivers of deepest anxieties amidst high tides in my soul.
In the darkness of despair where shadows loom,
Evolves the diamond from the ashy gloom.
From fiery trials and pressured pain,
Emerges the diamond struggling - not in vain.
The cuts and chips make the light shine bright,
Revealing beauty hidden from sight.
The diamond in the ashes formed by the flame,
A witness of resilience, it does proclaim.
Each facet carved and every tear shed,
Polishes the diamond and the soul’s thread.
Through disdainful despair, hope still thrives
Like the diamond in the furnace, our spirit survives.
For in the deep dangerous dark and doomed night,
The diamond, the survivor – brilliantly beautiful, bold and bright.
Copyright © 2019 by Crystal David John
(I wrote this poem for my niece who went through such difficulty and yet shone through it all. She continues to face her challenges with God's grace and her own willpower.)
Often been referred to as kookie and silly
It's the way to the hearts of pretty young fillies
Knew this as a teen
In my light blue jeans
Which exhibited a bulge of my most anxious willy
© Jack Ellison 2015
Late night overthinking
Heart racing, made up situation anticipating
Feelings chasing, dread encasing
I return, rewind to the start, replaying the awful part.
When they said that, what did they actually mean?
Conversation misconstrued, I probably came across really rude!
Going through that scenario
Searching for a way to let it go
Heart racing, situation is escalating
Tears rolled, feelings uncontrolled
I was the glue...holding it all together, what happened? Who knew?
Mentally stumbling
Rock and a hard place,
Put on your brave face
Dulling my shine
When will my mind be mine?
Getting caught on my thoughts
Trying to shake it, positive thinking,
deep breathing, count to ten, not working - count again.
Feeling like I'm sidestepping, continually procrastinating, forever underestimating
I'm in the way, just annoying, self efficacy so low, what to do? I don't know!
People do this so much better,
Heart still racing, face sweating
Non stop fretting, forever regretting
Everybody knows, cognitive overload
Short term-isms vs long term gains,
Refrain, hold back, don't do that!
Don't call them.. what would you say?
You can't say those words, total dismay
Stop it now, enough damage done
Heart racing, painstakingly debilitating
Beating faster, approaching disaster
She looked at me funny, although, that was ten years ago!
It was a silly thing to say, nobody got it anyway!
I've definitely spent too much money
Have a drink - stop the overthink
Numb it out, dim the shout
Not going to have time, I can't be late
thoughts re-group, consolidate
Move out the way,
pushing thoughts to one side, no where to hide, missing my stride
Am I mentally unstable?...No, normally quite able
Damn it, forgot the birthday card
How could I forget when I was remembering so hard
Heart racing, anxiety overtaking
Energy is decreasing, thoughts requiring releasing.
Confidence - an easy task, smiling - just a mask
Need to sleep, mind too deep
Deep breathing, count to ten - not working, count again.
Same time tomorrow? why yes of course!
Powerless to stop the overthinking force
God speaks here with authority
do not be anxious about your life
these words bring peace to one's heart
our Lord Jesus's words take away our strife
Jesus speaks about the birds of the air
how His father feeds them without return
then says are you more valued than they?
so don't let worry inside you burn
Then the Lord speaks that stress does no good
consider the lilies and how they grow
don't ever toil or spin unlike Solomon
who wasn't dressed like the lilies, Oh no!
Do not be anxious about food and drink
even clothing, don't ever be in despair
for God in heaven knows all you need
given you sufficient even to share
Learn to know God's will for you
seek God's kingdom of righteousness eternal
never worry about tomorrow, today's sufficient
but on God's spirit, it's your spiritual thermal!
(Do Not Be Anxious
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.)
Matthew 6: 25-34 (ESV)
anxious moments...
a silent phone
beside ticking clock
smiling face
with quick response...
a known ringtone
==================
There once was a girl from Toronto
Who was anxious to smooch and pronto
Jumped my bones
While I talked on the phone
Preacher thought someone was injured by the groans
© Jack Ellison 2016
Well here and now, I'm gonna come clean
There'll be no mistaking exactly what I mean
I love the young ladies
Though I'm in my eighties
Waiting to do battle with my anxious submarine
© Jack Ellison 2015
Anxious and sweating
Running away from the crash
She feared for her life
Be anxious for nothing,
Instead you should pray.
Tell God all your problems,
Turn to Him right away.
And don't forget to thank Him,
For every little thing.
Being grateful is a virtue,
That God holds in high esteem.
12/23/11 Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
For John Freeman's Faith Verses Contest.
So fragile life and human conscious,
Mindful wander, erratic, of untold purpose,
Bringing shadowy foreboding,
To the depths of our spirit; a dangerous curse.
Tragedy is looming, catch your breath,
Two tonnes of weight upon the chest,
Pascal afflicts my senses, my head,
Silence scares and gravity flares: there can be no rest.
The toll hangs nigh, have you danced well?
Prior scepticism now awash with certainty,
Pray thee Lord, forgive me, I hear the bell,
Through my life I’ve been good, with mere lack of piety.
Alas, a break, judgement saved,
Fever unmasked, the evil plot twists,
From deepest despair, a way is paved,
Take control once more with clenched fists.
This fight over, prepare but not await the next,
Be strong, be happy, have faith, son,
Do not fear thought, health, nor text,
Then body, mind and soul may realign as one.