Wake Up

A Poem by Laura Murphy

If you've never experienced sleep paralysis, I hope you never do. This is how it makes me feel.

I feel like I'm floating
Free as a bird but trapped under water until
I feel the shackles, the embrace of fear
He's back. She's back. There's no escape
I try to breathe, I try to let out
Any noise that can bring me to reality
But I cannot.
I'm stuck in a void as dark up in dark space
Abandoned by my crew and oxygen
I struggle to reach my lifeline
But I cannot.
I fade away, and my breathing gets heavier
Heartbeat gets louder and I feel a sense of peace
Until I turn my eyes, the only part thats devoid of those damned shackles
And there he is. There he is.
Eyes widen, I cannot breathe.
And I wake.