Awake

By Mary E. Adair

I cannot sleep
     My brain is fraught
With calamities
     That might be wrought

With fears within
     Of what might lurk without
And Helpless moans underline
     What my thoughts are about

If all that I dread
     Were to come to pass
T'would take many years
     'Fore we reached the last

I toss in my bed
     Coil my pillow in a knot
As I shiver and quiver
     Over what I know not

Just a parade thru my mind
     Of news reels of disaster
And horrible scenes
     That stream faster and faster

Can't catch my breath
     My back all a'shiver
Can't tell if my heart hurts
     Or is it my liver

I've always fought sleep
     Even as a child
Because of the dreams I had
     Of beasts from the Wild

Is imagination the culprit
     That keeps my eyes open
Or the knowing that with evil
     I'd surely fail at coping

Night fears lurk around
     And in dark hallways hold sway
Until as the Sun rises
     Night reluctantly yields to Day

I guess that a worry wart
     Is what I will stay
Though I can see it as silly
     Once the darkness fades away.

©January 07, 2019 Mary E. Adair

---

Click on author's byline for bio and list of other works published by Pencil Stubs Online.