Physical pain, emotional havoc, and despair are his colleagues.
Unexpected or unremitting, he is always an uninvited guest.
He has no shape and is mysterious.
Sometimes he is heard in silence and darkness.

In our bodies, his depth may be felt everywhere.
Unrelenting, he may be seen in our auras, the pallor of our face,
or felt in our stomachs.
We can be easily frightened, anxious, and agitated.

He reveals himself quickly.
Initially, we can't think.
We dread what looms ahead.
He is hard to trust and never can be ignored.

© 2006, Debora L. McCulliss