Poetry by Rowan Evans

Author’s Note

Airborne Confessions: Terminal Velocity leans into image and impulse: a visceral, metaphorical test of feeling. This poem is an exploration of risk and exposed hunger — not a plan, but a probe into the place where shame, expectation, and longing meet.

Read gently.

— Rowan Evans

✦ Content & Care Advisory ✦

These words soar through the raw heights of fear, despair, and the fragile pulse of the human heart. They speak of risks taken, gravity felt, and the weight of unseen burdens. Read only if you feel steady, and remember—your safety, your breath, your life are sacred. Even in the fall, you are not alone in the dark.

Airborne Confessions: Terminal Velocity
Poetry by Rowan Evans

I’ve thought about bungee jumping
without the chord,
skydiving with no parachute
on board.
I want to kiss the earth
at terminal velocity,
to feel fear rip me open
and call it alive.

Is it you? Is it my family?
The weight of expectations
or shame I swallow daily?
I don’t know.
I just know I want to fling myself
off this ledge of everything,
naked, screaming,
and see if I survive my own gravity.

I am trembling. I am exposed.
I am undone—and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

For more of my poetry, visit The Library of Ashes.

🕯️ If you’re struggling, please read this:

You matter. Your pain is real. Your story is not over.
Here are some resources—because your flame is worth protecting:

🇺🇲 United States

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – Call or text 988
https://988lifeline.org
Free, 24/7 support for emotional distress and mental health crises.

Crisis Text Line – Text HOME to 741741
https://www.crisistextline.org

—

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Samaritans – Call 116 123 (free, 24/7)
https://www.samaritans.org

—

🇦🇺 Australia

Lifeline Australia – Call 13 11 14
https://www.lifeline.org.au

Kids Helpline (ages 5–25) – Call 1800 55 1800
https://www.kidshelpline.com.au

—

🇨🇦 Canada

Talk Suicide Canada – Call 1-833-456-4566 or text 45645
https://talksuicide.ca

—

🇵🇭 Philippines

Hopeline Philippines
Call: 0917 558 4673, (02) 8804 4673, or 2919 (toll-free for Globe & TM)
https://www.hopelineph.com

—

🌍 Global

Befrienders Worldwide – Emotional support in 30+ countries
https://www.befrienders.org

Suicide Prevention Wiki (International Hotline Directory)
https://suicidestop.com/call_a_hotline.html