Panic Attack

Descending a lift, in sultry Ho Chi Minh En route for a solo trip to the Mekong Delta It comes like a thunder clap Like a lightning strike The full blown inner storm of a panic attack And so to re-ascend in mounting terror Racing back to the sticky hotel room Its walls the colour of snake wine vinegar No lotus pond, no vibrant floating market No trip on a sampan boat past paddy fields No alligator farm, no Vinh Trang temple I anchor myself to the bed with whitening knuckles Riding the rapids of panic's whirlpools Two hours I lie as the creaking air conditioner Whirls its blades like a broken helicopter Listening to insects sucked into blue light Frying and sizzling like my live wire brain