Author’s Note:
“To some, modern poetry without a rigid, traditional meter looks like simple freestyle. However, the structure of this piece is tightly bound to a physical reality. I chose to break these lines not at random, but to create a metronome for panic.
The short, fragmented lines (like ‘Foot poised,’ or ‘reluctant,’) act as the physical ‘stutter’ of agoraphobia— the moments where the mind freezes and the breath catches. By abandoning a predictable, flowing rhyme scheme in the middle stanzas, the poem forces the reader to sit in the same unpredictable, unmapped space that someone experiencing severe anxiety faces.
The rhythm doesn’t just tell a story; it forces the reader to breathe through the attack alongside the narrator until the final release.”
Inside This Poem:
When people look at contemporary poetry that moves away from traditional, rigid stanzas, it is easy to mistake it for mere “freestyle”—a random scattering of words on a page meant only for visual design. But in this piece, the structure is not a decoration; it is a blueprint of a physical experience.
This poem is written using what is known as organic form or mimetic rhythm. This means the layout on the page explicitly mirrors the physiological reality of the subject matter.
I wrote this piece from a deeply personal space, reflecting on my own severe anxiety and agoraphobia, as well as the struggles with Social Anxiety Disorder I see in my younger daughter. To capture that world, the text is engineered like a heart monitor. The sharp line breaks, the isolated words, and the halting pacing are designed to trap the reader in the exact, claustrophobic “stop-start” rhythm of a panic attack.
The short lines force you to take shallow, hesitant breaths. The white space on the page represents the terrifying void of the outside world. The poem deliberately hesitates, freezes, and fractures, guiding your nervous system through the hyper-awareness of fear—until the final lines, where the rhythm finally relaxes into a long, grounding exhale.
This is not just free verse. It is an intentional translation of adrenaline, survival, and the immense courage it takes to cross a single doorway.
In short much of the Poetry that I write these days, have been within this style. It is more than just Poetry. It is an artwork in its own way.This is a type of poetry that one should breathe and read as the narrator does within the poems. Please Enjoy.
The Threshold
You do not speak your name aloud,
do not mark the year, nor count the crowd,
only know the line you’ve stood behind
has held you longer than you’d ever find.
The threshold’s worn, the wood is grey,
no map beyond, no marked-out way;
thin, still air slips slow and soft
through spaces where old shadows oft
linger low, long and lost.
Foot poised,
heart beats faster,
body shakes deep under skin—
holding it tight, letting nothing show,
just standing, and waiting, and knowing.
Not raised in courage,
more in surrender:
the ground before holds no map,
no promise, no familiar ember.
You do not rush,
do not look back—
inside still trembles, yet holds the track;
feel the quiet shift begin,
the slow slip, the soft release within.
Step out,
almost faster,
faster still, but keep it even,
stay true to the goal you set unseen—
lean forward,
reluctant,
released,
and let the unknown
be all that must now be met.
No banner blared, no bold bright goal,
just the faint, far call of what may unfold—
then time unfurls, the tension thins,
the shake subsides, the breath sinks in...
one slow step,
one soft breath,
into the space
where nothing is certain,
and everything begins.
Copyright © 2026 Pat Fitzgerald
All Rights Reserved
Thank you for joining me on this journey of writing and discovery. Poetry, for me, is a continuous learning process. A way of finding my own voice and writing style and exploring the beauty of words.
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Pat Fitzgerald
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