Frostbite (Barry Prize)

Have you ever felt hungry for hours
A burning, gnawing sensation
And then, without your even noticing it
The feeling goes away?

Everyone knows
Too much of a good thing is usually bad

But too much of a bad thing
Can start to feel like a good thing

There’s a certain time
Around two in the morning for me
When the feeling of fatigue slips away
A strange alertness takes hold
That’s when I know I’ll wake up exhausted

Life can be tiring
Yet exhaustion is itself a protest
A reminder that someday there will be rest

They say if you’re out in the dead of winter
Your toes hurting should be reassuring
A sign of life
It’s not until their outcry ends
That the damage is done

Fear itself is not the only thing we have to fear
Scarier still is what comes after

The worst thing to feel is nothing at all