Nausea

It often begins quietly. A hollow pull in the stomach, a tightening behind the sternum, a metallic taste at the back of the palate. Then it grows. The belly becomes unfamiliar territory, saliva flows more freely, the skin turns cool and damp. The head feels light and heavy at the same time. You want to smell nothing, see nothing, hear nothing — you simply want it to stop. And when it finally comes up, there is a brief, exhausted relief. And often a shame that cannot be explained.