top of page

Sierra DeWalt

Dusk or dawn

only in dawn or dusk 

the thoughts swirl at heights 

dizzy with their flecks of gold 

 

the rest of the time 

corrupting my spirit 

they focus on the shadows 

worry in small moments 

 

conjectures crowd each other 

mind latching on to one then another whispering reasons to find fear 

a candy necklace of anxiety 

 

it takes deep breaths and escapism war on overthinking 

pints of ice cream and hours on Instagram naps, tv shows, to keep me numb 

 

sometimes at dawn or dusk 

or somewhere in between 

out of the fog, a rod from high 

lightning bolt of creative fire 

strikes center 

 

the stress sinks away 

my mind clears 

and cascading clarity flies forth 

speeding across the keyboard 

in words charged with waterfalls 

 

do these infrequent zaps 

justify the confused spin 

the whirl, wail, and whipping 

of an anxious mind 

 

is it dawn or dusk 

or somewhere in between 

to balance chaos and control 

still the mind and set it free 

 

or is it me?

creator's notes:

This poem is about how the mind can be one's worst enemy or best friend. Overthinking and anxiety can take over, but so can inspiration. The balance of chaos and control is either in moments of creative illumination or merely inside of each of us. This poem explores that idea.

about:

Sierra DeWalt is a senior English and Screenwriting double major. She writes poetry, short stories, travel pieces, and scripts. She goes crazy for travel, cats, ice cream, the ocean, and Nico di Angelo. She apologizes to Santi for mentioning the last one on that list. 

subcategory:

Mind

bottom of page