A Car Goes Down Into Water
a poem
I have dreams about drowning on nights when my anxiety gets bad.
A car goes down into water.
I avoid it the best I can.
It's the anticipation of flooding in my lungs—
I know what that feels like, a painful step up in intensity from a hyperventilating struggle to breathe,
a burn instead of a gasp, a battle to inhale.
The car goes off the bridge, and I am always a passenger
out of control
stuck and panicked under the pressure
sinking as it all starts to pour in through the cracks.
I wake up fighting for air too often, and it never gets easier.
About the Creator
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insight
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
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More stories from Kay Husnick and writers in Poets and other communities.
Center Stage with Gina C.
*** I'm keen to republish the interviews I did for my series with Vocal creators. It's been a few years and I thought it might be nice to revisit these wonderful conversations. I'll be releasing them one at a time for a few weeks/months.
By Heather Hubler5 days ago in Interview
Comments (11)
You describe this intense feeling (kind of like a panic attack/nightmare) really well. I hate that feeling. Incredible poem, and congrats on the top story.
I could feel the fear. Nice Job. - Congratulations on top story. Well done!
This was a well executed poem symbolizing your anxiety and fear driven by dreams. For me, it was very relatable as I also had dreams for years in which I was attempting to cross a high bridge or waters building higher and higher to encompass me. I thought your poem vividly spoke of these invasive dreams. Congratulations on a much deserved Top Story.
Could feel the panic and fear. Thought this was so well written and such a great top story.
I really enjoyed reading this.
Congratulations on top story.
This is such a powerful depiction of what it can feel like to have anxiety. It is so relatable. Congrats on the Top Story! 🎉
What a great way to explain anxiety and I love how you put a twist in the "it feels like I'm drowning" phrase that seems to always be connected to anxiety. Congrats on your Top Story!
I really felt this... well written!
It is hard to put down in words our anxiety and fears, you did it great with this poem and I hope could help you a little 🌸
Terrifying, be like Kristen from Nightmare on Elm Street, try to change and visualize a part of the nightmare into something you can control and change into good