They make their way into our world like uninvited house guests. They grab a hold of us like tentacles, feeding off of our souls. It is their power that resonates in our cerebral cortex. They get etched in our memories and saved for a later date when we can search our mental rolodex and reflect on how they made us feel. Imagine your life without their beauty. How empty and bleek you would be without being able to share, without being able to speak, without being able to be. I am suffocating. Trapped in the confines of my mind I am a prisoner of my thoughts. Wanting to share what’s inside of me but unable to let it out. A mental tug of war between the heart and the brain neither one wanting to let go. Thoughts floating in air; vowels, consonants, adverbs & syllables roaming aimlessly waiting for me to give them direction. I try but am caught in the web that has been spun from the thread of reality. Confusion seeps its way in followed by doubt & self loathing. Before I know it, it has encapsulated me. Submerged in fear and hopelessness I struggle to release myself from its grasp. If only I could give you life. Birth you from the womb and watch you grow into something strong, powerful, meaningful but I am numb, paralyzed by words left unspoken.