Nightmares

 Gentle consciousness, don’t leave me

and take your guiding lines away,

or leave me stranded in the ocean

that you usually keep at bay.

Don’t throw me to the sharks,

immortal from imagination,

or let them chew on all my fears

until they morph into creation.

I don’t want to rest my head,

on the pillow of the devil.

Feel the comfort quilting over me,

drowning in my comfort level.

I don’t want to spend the night

being free from your refrain,

If in your absence there is nothing,

but the shadows of my brain.

Reviews

[lua]

this perfectly combines the dread and anticipation evoked by the thought of losing consciousness, stuck in a bad dream as real as day, with the metaphors that represent the enemy nightmares become - your words encapsulate it, bringing these emotions to life on the page

[Eliee]

You've created such wonderful imagery with your words that outlines the beautiful yet fearful moment of sleep. 'if in your absence there is nothing but the shadows of my brain' was by far my favorite line in the entire work.

[A.L.]

"If in your absence there is nothing, but the shadows of my brain." This is brilliant and I love the similes used in this poem. I'm hooked Ellusen.

[Tony Jordan]

Nightmares, night-terrors are no joke. Your use of one of human-kind's greatest ever 'bogeyman' - the shark really puts the night-terrors into perspective - and to make it a double act of the devil too. Ratchets up the terror to make this a super-dark piece.
I get the odd nightmare - filled with lots of murder ad gore but it's a rare occurrence. I don't think I could cope with being blitzed regularly by them.
Great word economy and conveying of a horrible affliction.

[Dust That Drifts Throug..]

I like this poem that's about not wanting to sleep because nightmares might chew on your fears.