Poem #1: The Internal Blizzard (Part 1)

Instructions

Poem #1: The Internal Blizzard (12/06/25) I’m walking up to a house, my breath a white wisp in the air as the wind blows it away. I look around, seeing frost covered cars and trucks in the driveway. I hear the crunching of the snow as I make my way up to the door, the cold biting me bitter. I reach out with a gloved hand, the cold causing me to spasm with shivers. I knock on the door, even though I feel like I don’t need to. I hear footsteps. Light yet full of weight. The door opens and I see a girl with the kindest smile that’s ever been in my sight. Her eyes are an emerald green. Never have I ever seen eyes with such pristine. She looks me in the eyes and asks “Where have you been? We’ve been waiting on you all day.” Without another word, she lets me in and I make my way. Into the house and I look around, I see grandparents, parents, kids, cousins, brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, some dancing, some playing, some running wild, some telling stories of the glory days, but there’s something consistent among the chaos. Love. Joy. Happiness. It all matches with the warm ambience of the house that I find myself standing in now. A sharp contrast to the cold outside where there was nothingness. I see them all quiet down and turn to me. I could feel that burning sensation of anxiety. Only for it to be soothed by the sudden surge of smiles and cheers saying “he made it, we didn’t want to start without him, and thank god he didn’t leave us hanging.” I take a step and already people come to me and take me to their kitchen where I see foods of various types up for the taking. I take a simple helping of rice in a small mound. I didn’t think anyone would mind. However one man did, and he walked to me, and he asked me “young man why not get more? There’s plenty to go around” I answered honestly, well almost honestly “It’s okay, I’m not really that hungry” He looked at me thoughtfully and asked me “Are you sure?” It was in that moment that I could hear the internal alarm in my brain go off that made me distance myself from my fear of vulnerability. I started to walk back towards the door, hoping to withdraw into the cold outside to escape from the unease. I always wondered why this fear was always shrouding my soul. I wish I knew where it came from, why it’s here, and why it seems to be here to stay no matter how I try to get rid of it. But I do know one thing though: The blizzard in us all can never be calmed if it's fear where we give up and submit.