National Poetry Writing Month: Day Five, "Insomnia"

Night descends again
Blackness falls around,
Stars light the sky,
Everything slows,
Except me.
Lying wide awake,
Under the fold of the sheets,
Fatigue claws my eyes,
Rakes my mind,
Pillages my thoughts.
My skin crawls,
Unable to switch off.
A thousand voices,
A chorus of pain,
At the back of a silent dream.
Hours pass like the tide,
On and on and on.
My eyes close,
But my heart races,
I toss and turn,
Tangled.
Too hot and too cold,
It’s frustrating,
Maddening.
Then the alarm rings,
Nails on a chalk board,
Tearing insanity into my system,
Breeding with hatred.

Throwing aside the sheets,
Eyes red,
Light burns,
Tiring with each movement.
Cold shower.
Doesn’t help.
Day becomes night,
Blurred vision,
Tangled in the work,
Tossing and turning at the desk,
Voices echo away,
Lose meaning,
Fade.
Head lulls,
Don’t know if I’m awake.
Fingers scratch wood.
Being conscious is the dream,
Waiting to end.
A grinding pain,
Distant at first,
Slate on stone,
It grows,
It sings,
It screams,
Bellowing for quiet.
Then I’m in bed again,
Eyes are red,
Light burns.
My eyes close,
But my heart is racing.

Fucking insomnia.