Sleep Paralysis
You. You again.
Why do you come for me?
Have you not taken everything?
Why do you come at night? When I'm weak.
I can't move.
You pin me down with the mandibles of this nightmare.
I'm trapped. Unable to move any part of my body. Even my finger. Just an inch.
Yet you let me breathe. Keeping me alive. Toying with me.
I'm a mouse. I'm clasped in your talons.
I know you're a witch. I sense it.
Like a child sensing it's mother.
But I can't see you. Shadows are hard to see in the dark.
Why do you just stare??? I feel you staring.
Come on then! Have me! Better to be taken quickly than to stay like this!
Doctors say I should just go back to sleep. That you won't really hurt me.
But what if you take me then?
I'd rather be alert when you make your move.
I want to know it's coming.
I am tired now...
Fear has burned all that I am. I have just my thoughts left.
You may have taken everything, but I still have my mind!
I scream. Murmurs of a silent syllable. Sirens to save my soul. In my head.
No one can hear.
I'm helpless. I'm yours. I have nothing left.
I sleep.
About this poem
When I was younger, I suffered from sleep paralysis. It was a terrifying experience which I've tried to capture in this poem. The feeling of something over you, watching you, holding you down... it's extreme.
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"Sleep Paralysis" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 4 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/179823/sleep-paralysis>.
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