I am Sweat

My anxiety frolics in the meadows that run through my veins

Cascading down my limbs

Unsteady, gelatinous.

I am swaying in my seat

As if I'm on a boat

Although my chair rests on solid ground.

Ear to ear, my vision spins

And a sea of sweat envelopes my skin.

Sticky and glistening,

I stare at my work computer

Trying to make sense of a simple email

That I've reread tens of times.

Zoning out at the "Hi Annie,"

And never making it past that point.

My thermometer says my office is 84 degrees

And my fans continuously blow hot dusty air into

My dry eyes.

The overstimulating, constant droning

Of twelve fans behind me

Leaves no room for calm.

The customers beyond the wall of the office

Chatter away about the heat, the humidity,

And add to the noise that never stops.

Sensory overload the second I leave the house.

30 minutes of my shift lost to a lack of parking

And asphalt radiated through my soles

While I walked the 10 minutes to my workplace.

I live in sweat.

I breathe in sweat.

I am sweat.