It can erupt:
volcanic;
spill adrenaline in the veins.

It can slither:
reptilian;
invading with hidden doubt.

Robs the senses,
fight or flight;
memories flood a thousand times.

The heart stops,
yet still pounds a staccato rhythm;
tingle, fingers tingle.

Numbness hits the throat;
paralyze the mind, leave a lucid corpse
breathing dirty water.

Gushing vinegar:
that rank bitterness;
burns the nostrils, stings the throat.

The world disappears;
a black abyss painted across the wind.

It all subsides,
only to awaken again