Rage

Dear Rage,
You came in and wrecked my world
Not with noise - but with fire.
A fire that burned everything in its path,
leaving no room for softness, no place to hide.
I reached for water, thinking it would save me,
but blinded me instead, and somehow fueled you, fed you,
taught you to grow.
The hurt that once whispered began to gnaw, then consume,
until it had a new name.
I felt you rising, slowly, deliberately,
swelling in my chest like a storm pressing against glass,
like a breath held to long.
Each heartbeat louder than the last.
Each silence heavier.
I knew the moment before breaking
that dangerous pause
Where I am still standing, still breathing,
still intact, but only barely.
About to explode.