the world spins madly before my eyes
it’s hard to tell which way to go
stuck in a hell that seems my own
I try to distance myself from the blurred image
but reality is an ever-present predator
  and I, its ongoing prey
from behind it leaps upon my back,
  but not without warning
for I sense it like one who feels
  he’s being watched
this knowledge never changes anything
I fall, feeling its gnashing jaws going for my neck
the weight bears down on me
  until I feel my head will explore
my ribs will crack, puncturing my lungs,
  my heart, and everything else
and I will die a slow death of internal bleeding
  as I suffocate
but my stalker never gets full satisfaction
for friends rush in to my aid
and instead of becoming a bag of smashed bones
  in a pool of blood
I stand erect once again to be one with a
  fractured mind
floundering in a pool of black emotions
this bittersweet taste of being saved is never
  forgotten
for then I must go on knowing it will happen again
not knowing if my friends will be in time
and wondering if I really want them to be