La Chispa 2023 - Sandia Preparatory School

I’m floating in a fog, confined in an airtight box that’s pushing
through space; everything I have to accomplish racing through
my incredibly exhausted mind. Tethered to everything asked of
me, trying to sift through each droplet of expectation in search of
approval.
Will I do it right?
Will I make the right choice?
My soul’s distress finally makes its way into my bloodstream and
my temples begin to pound a terrible beat. My carefully crafted
walls can no longer contain the panic that has been clawing, attempting
to escape ever since I began to consider treading the
treacherous, overwhelming path.
I feel it behind my eyes. Growing from the deepest parts of my
brain, spreading outwards in a slow, menacing way. My vision
begins to blur as it stretches down my body, conquering me.
Fear.
Fear of the path I choose to take.
Fear of disappointing.
Because I don’t know anything yet.
Because my feet still have the stains of the soft, comfortable soil
on them; that familiar dirt between my toes.
-Dahlia Walker
39
-Daniela Baca