There’s an elephant in the room
And it’s sat on my chest.
Feeling out of breath
My heart’s bursting through my vest.
I can’t rest,
Pulse races,
Nervous about faces.
A trip to the store is as daunting
As a day at the races;
Crowds or shops
Can’t stop - the shakes start in my hand.
Nellie sits on my chest
I don’t feel like I can stand.
Not planned
Not scheduled
I want my money back
There’s an elephant on my chest
Called panic attack.
R.S Green is a former secondary school English teacher who lives in the north of England. He stopped teaching due to a long term mental health condition and writes about family, love, mental illness and experiences working in war-zones.
His writing about mental health addresses suicide, anxiety, depression and experiences as a survivor of rape and having grown up in a house in which domestic abuse was common.
See more work on instagram.