A tight hand grasping my spine,
Crushing my lungs and stretching time.
A heavy weight compressing my chest.
Nightmare’s perch, her chosen nest.

Sleepless nights with jaw clenched tight,
Grinding teeth and knuckles white.
A silent night unless you strain,
Is that noise real or just my brain?

Am I broken or just afraid?
Scared of the night, before the day.
Must I sleep to find success?
I wonder as I fail to rest.  

I suffer in silence I cannot find,
The constant noise of a restless mind.
Internal, external, I am not sure.
All I know is this constant stir.  

As I try to sleep and listen close,
I force my ears not to host.
The last few sounds of the ending day,
and those near by that would have it stay.