Like the agitator on a washing machine
Worry tangled my brain
Darting thoughts
Refused to settle for processing

Like buttermilk from the churn
Soured my nervous stomach
Upsetting, fretting, obsessing

Annoyingly wide awake
Tossed and turned
Fear’s nasty breath
What if?
Did I forget?
Oh no!

Tossing and turning
Over and over and over
Like the muddy river water
Churned by the steamboat wheel

Like fish churning the water
To get food
Gnawing at my brain
Eating at my stomach

Sucked into the vortex
Unwelcome adrenaline
Siphoning energy
Sabotaging productivity
Emotionally drained

Mental frenzy
Switch flipped
Peace turned off
No quieting
No cessation