Panic Attack Poem by Sheena Blackhall

Descending a lift, in sultry Ho Chi Minh
En route for a solo trip to the Mekong Delta
It comes like a thunder clap
Like a lightning strike
The full blown inner storm of a panic attack

And so to re-ascend in mounting terror
Racing back to the sticky hotel room
Its walls the colour of snake wine vinegar

No lotus pond, no vibrant floating market
No trip on a sampan boat past paddy fields
No alligator farm, no Vinh Trang temple

I anchor myself to the bed with whitening knuckles
Riding the rapids of panic's whirlpools

Two hours I lie as the creaking air conditioner
Whirls its blades like a broken helicopter
Listening to insects sucked into blue light
Frying and sizzling like my live wire brain