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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at C of C chapter.

breathe.

in–

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

they count softly

a trick she taught them.

almost a command,

not exactly a gentle comfort.

the energy is thicker

heavy with the dripping emotions

of absolute fear and paranoia

struggling to drink in the air, she drowns.

quite alive, but afraid of living.

good.

now breathe,

out.

1

2

3

4

she knows how this works.

their voice is calming

almost soothing enough, to bring her away from the edge.

almost.

still she exhales.

are the counts faster within each breath?

or, maybe… maybe longer.

in–

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

her chest heaves and falls

swirls of turmoil and pressure churn in her stomach

struggling to hold her breath she thinks;

they care.

she wonders why.

out–

1

2

3

4

the release is powerful

they listen to her exhale,

“you are okay”.

a simple sentence, yet so complex

like “i love you”.

she relinquishes her power in her search to find comfort in their words.

breathe.

Hey y'all! I moved to Charleston from a little town in New Jersey, and before you go "NeW JoYsEE", no. I don't talk like that. I have a sense of humor and I am very open about myself; you can live my life by reading what I write. I love long walks on the beach, coffee all day long, poetry, photography, and a whole lot more. Thank you so much for coming to my page. I really hope my writing speaks to you, helps you, or just makes you laugh. (: