A Web of Darkness

The waves come, one after another slamming without forgiveness.
            You brace yourself, but you’re weak.
The cold shocks your insides, swallowing you up.
            You’re helpless, unable to tread to the surface.
The air sucks from your lungs, a rope lassoed around your neck.
            You fight to breathe, but it’s hopeless.
The dark is determined, the pull to give into it intense.
            You think how effortlessly you could give in.
The voices clash like cymbals, ringing out loud.
            You know you shouldn’t believe them, but you do.
The light at the end of the tunnel is dim, barely visible.
            You have to squint to catch a glimpse of it.
The combination of it all--the dark, the pull, the voices, lace and web through your veins.
            You cry out and force it away, using every ounce of strength left inside you.
The dark, the pull, the voices, they do not win.
            You have survived, at least for one more day.

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After spending her first few years in Canada, Starla LeAnne relocated and grew up in the PNW. When her family became tired of her nonstop chatter and she still had words left to say, she began writing. And she hasn’t stopped. Starla has studied creative writing and has dabbled in both, published poetry and short stories. She lives with her husband and three kids in Oregon where they enjoy the beautiful outdoors, hiking and taking their English Mastiff for walks. A recovering cake decorator, she now works in the health industry. You can find her hiding out in a coffee shop listening to music and writing. Or, on Twitter @StarlaLeAnne and on Instagram @starlawrites