It sits on my chest

purring with pleasure

I’m not sure how huge it is

but it feels beyond measure

perhaps it’s imagination

making it seem bigger each day

or perhaps it’s because

there’s more in my way

It’s becoming a friend

Although not a great one

it’s bigger at bad times

but also there for the fun

obligations and pressures

the everyday kind

Are it’s bread-and-butter

and make it feel fine

I take as many deep breaths

as I can get into my chest

but they don’t even budge it,

making me dizzy at best

I run through my list

trying to pacify the beast

sometimes it works

or I convince myself it does, at least

I know all the answers

About why it’s there,

and who it is;

unfortunately, it doesn’t care

As I search for the answers

as so many people do

sometimes I wonder

if I’m alone in my zoo

but then I realize at times

this is how everyone must feel

So if life can be trying

how does everyone deal?

Medications and counseling,

mindfulness and wellness abound

but at the end of the day

I think my cute is solid ground

time to breathe fresh country air

go for long hikes in the trees

a summer time sun

soft springtime breeze

time to sit and smell the flowers

close my eyes, warm my face

because the older I get

The less I enjoy this race