I awake in a sea of regret,
drowning in sweat that laces my skin,
and aching from the harsh beats of my heart.  
It’s 3am and my body refuses to succumb to sleep;
my mind is screaming at me,
like an angry child in a tantrum,
and my thoughts ricochet against the walls of my head.
They’re perpetual and relentless,
forbidding me to rest.
World war 3 begins in my head
during the dead of night.
No one else can hear the plummeting bombs,
the murderous gun shots,
or the screams of the victims.
The world around me remains completely oblivious.
I’m silent throughout the midst of battle.
I surrendered long ago.
I lost long ago.
I waved my white flag,
yet my mind will not abandon the battle.