Now I lay me Down to Sleep…

Each night everything is different

the light is gone and life slows down

less to worry about, less to do…

your mind is free to wander.

Wandering minds are dangerous things.

The things you had hidden

come springing to the surface.

Before, you were preoccupied

—a moving target, difficult to hit—

but at night your mind is an open target

waiting for the pain to strike

The loneliness comes in waves

the pain is close behind

an overwhelming empty feeling

consumes you, leaves you hollow.

Hopelessness is second nature

inside your mind you’re screaming, crying,

pleading for the one you love

begging them to return and

defeat that hollow feeling—

awake your frozen dormant heart.

The linen beneath your cheek

soaks slowly through.

Your vision blurs and smears the darkness

you cry in your mind, you cry in the night.

That which you long for is miles away

far from any hope of thought.

The waves of pain subside to numb—

Lose yourself in longing for sleep…

Everything is different at night.