There is a Battle

There is a battle,
A herculean struggle being waged,
Where Atlas shrugs and Zeus laughs
Two different parts of myself,
At times overwhelming,
A fright so terrifically real,
That I retreat to a safe place, though there is none;

Drawing on the strength of my ancestors,
Knowing that it will pass,
In a moment, or five or next year,
It is timeless and gut wrenchingly painful,
Rationality seemingly defenseless to something unreal.

How can that be?
How can it be,
That the imaginary,
Can fill me with such a fright,
That I become paralyzed?

How can it be,
That in manic sanity,
Insanity creeps beneath the door,
Battles the fortress of I,
Leaving me weak,
Confused,
Terrified?

There is a battle,
That leaves me on the field,
In fetal position, begging for it to end,
Moments like hours,
Hours like the universes expanse, infinite;

It’s not real,
But that is not enough,
To ward off clinging demons,
Monstrously menacing,
And in an instant,
Though they leave,
A seeping wound,
Is left,
To pick up the pieces,
There is a battle and I will emerge;
Victorious.

SDM