Staring Down The Dog Of Fear
Shawn Smith- Written on August 16, 2006
As I step out of the door of my dwelling
A cool breeze envelopes me
I proceed towards my destiny one step at a time
The uncertainty is both frightening and exhilarating
Shall my day be filled with pleasure?
She it be filled with pain?
Will my path be difficult?
Or will it be fraught with many obstacles?
The answers to my questions lay before me
I venture forward
The cat is now out of the bag
The chicken is now out of its coop
Part of me desires to peer into the future
But that's like leafing forward to the end of the book
The story is ruined before you get a chance to enjoy it
Fear is lurking in the air
Something is about to happen
I can feel it
I can almost taste it
But I move forward in spite of my feelings
A fierce looking dog steps into my path
The fear has now taken on a physical shape
It reveals its razor sharp teeth
It braces itself to lurch forward in my direction
I can sense its craving for the taste of blood - my blood
My body becomes frozen with fear
My heart leaps into my throat
I can barely breathe
Will this be my end?
I stand my ground
I refuse to run away
I muster up the courage to growl back at the ferocious, now frothing at the mouth, canine
I make my own lurch forward
It is either me or that damn dog
And if I'm going down, I'm going down with a fight
The dog does not expect my reaction
A worried look comes over its face
It lets out a big yipe
Its tail is now between its legs
As I am about to leap forward it slowly crawls away
Whimpering with fear as it does so
I call after it
"Get the hell out of here and don't come back again!"
My energy is drained
My heart is still beating very fast
Yes, I have stared down another beast and have prevailed yet again