fear

Courage in Chaos: Overcoming Anxiety Daily

/ Nancy Ann Creed / Leave a comment
Worn vintage suitcase with travel stickers placed on wooden floor in hallway

The walls are leaning inward, though the level says they’re straight,
And the air feels thick and heavy, like a physical, dull weight.
It’s a static in the marrow, it’s a ringing in the ears,
A list of “what-ifs” blooming into catastrophic fears.
The door feels like a mountain, and the phone a jagged stone,
The mind builds up a prison that it’s crafted all alone.

But the kettle starts its humming, and the clock begins to chime,
The world doesn’t pause its spinning just to give me extra time.
So I breathe a shallow rhythm, count the floorboards near my feet,
And find the tiny pocket where the fear and duty meet.
It isn’t that the shaking stops or shadows go away,
It’s the shaking hands that reach out to begin the work of day.

I carry it like luggage—bulky, frayed, and overfilled,
Across the bridge of “must-do,” where the panic isn’t stilled.
I take a single, trembling step, then find the strength for two,
Doing all the things I need, while the fear is coming through.
For courage isn’t silence where the anxious thoughts are gone,
It’s the shivering soul that tells itself: regardless, carry on.

More Works by Nancy Ann Creed

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A Silent Farewell

/ Nancy Ann Creed / Leave a comment
person writing on black board with chalk
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

A Silent Farewell

I hide myself away, retreating from the world’s harsh light,
To hide from those I fear, the shadows that invade the night.
The whispers and the judging eyes, they pierce me to the core,
So I draw the curtains closed, and lock the heavy door.
I hide myself away, within this solitary keep,
A silent farewell for now, while deeper secrets sleep.

The silence of this self-made cell becomes a heavy shroud,
I cried myself to sleep, a soundless weeping in the crowd.
To hide and weep, my body shaking with the strain,
To hide and weep, to wash away the bitter, throbbing pain.
Each tear a wasted moment, falling in the deep,
As promises I couldn’t keep haunt me while I sleep.

A sharp regret now cuts the air: Why did I waste so much time?
Consumed by baseless fear, an unforgivable, self-made crime.
To fear what they say, the empty words that hold no weight,
To let their careless judgments seal my solitary fate.
I should have stood defiant, met their gaze with fiery pride,
But cowardice took hold, and left me here to hide.

Again, the darkness calls me down, the cycle starts anew,
I cried myself to sleep, until the morning filtered through.
To hide and weep, a ritual of sorrow and despair,
To hide and weep, a burden that my heart can barely bear.
This isolation is a monster, feeding on my will,
A self-imposed exile upon this lonely, silent hill.

But then a whisper rises, fragile yet defined,
A voice that speaks of freedom, leaving fear behind.
Open the doors, let sunlight flood the dust and gloom,
And hide no more, escape this cold and empty room.
Open the doors, the hinges squeak with long disuse,
And hide no more, relinquish every weak excuse.
The world awaits beyond the latch, vibrant and so vast,
A future built on courage, leaving shadows in the past.

I cried myself to sleep, a memory that starts to fade,
Wasting so much time, upon a path too long delayed.
Wasting so much time, a treasure carelessly set free,
But now the lock is broken, and the key belongs to me.
The sun on my face is a promise, clear and bold,
A new story beginning, waiting to unfold.

https://books2read.com/u/m25Ygd

Nightmares

/ Nancy Ann Creed / Leave a comment
Photo by Rulo Mora on Pexels.com

The night is dark and full of terrors,
The sleep that comes is fitful and full of fear.
The demons of my past come to haunt me,
The monsters of my mind come to tear me apart.

I wake up screaming, my heart racing,
My body drenched in sweat, my breath coming in gasps.
I try to go back to sleep, but I can’t,
The memories of the nightmare are too fresh.

I lie there in the darkness, afraid to close my eyes,
Afraid of what I might see.
I try to think of happy thoughts, but it’s no use,
The nightmares are too powerful.

I finally get out of bed and go to the kitchen,
I make myself a cup of tea and try to calm down.
I know that the nightmares will come back,
But I also know that I can’t let them control me.

I have to face my fears, I have to overcome them,
I have to learn to live with them.
I can’t let them keep me from sleeping,
I can’t let them keep me from living my life.

So I take a deep breath and close my eyes,
I try to relax and let go of the fear.

Fear Not Being Good Enough

/ Nancy Ann Creed / Leave a comment
Fuck you fear sign by Scott Webb is licensed under CC-CC0 1.0

The fear of being not good enough,
It sits like a weight on my chest,
It chokes my words, and makes my breath huff,
It’s a monster that I can’t defeat.

I want to write, but I’m afraid,
That my words will be empty and false,
That my thoughts will be just a waste,
That my poems will be nothing but cold.

So I sit here, and do nothing,
I let the fear consume me whole,
I let it win, and I let it rule,
I let it take my soul.

But I know that I can’t let it win,
I know that I have to try,
I know that I have to write my mind,
Even if my words are not pretty.

So I’ll take a deep breath,
And I’ll let my words flow free,
I’ll write from my heart, and from my soul,
And I’ll let the fear go.

Honesty and Fear

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woman placing her finger between her lips
Photo by Kat Smith on Pexels.com
They ask you to be honest, 
but is that is what they really want? 
When you speak honestly, 
does it always work out?
Should you be honest? 
Should you speak the truth?

You fear when you speak,
your heart races, will you hurt someone? 
Time and time again people ask you,
to be yourself.
Do they know what they are asking for?

I am far too honest
at the wrong times.
I am insecure and,
I never think highly of myself. 
I need constant reassurances and, 
Often feel guilty for the things I say and do.

You say be yourself and be honest.
But the fear is overwhelming.