Insomnia

Half past midnight.

The darkness lingers with disquiet,

Languidly dissolving

The solemn shroud of silence

That keeps us whole

And holds us in reality.

 

I am alone.

My bed reeks of sweat and tears

From the many nights spent tossing and turning,

 Yearning for a solitary ray

To penetrate the dusty black

With the precious gift of hope.

 

But no.

 

What night is night

If the moon gives no boon

And the stars lull not the land to sleep?

What day is day

If not even the glorious sun

Can spring us into action?

Nay, light is dark and dark is light

When the dreary sands of time

Sift seamlessly into oblivion.

 

The world revolves without me.

Confined within the depths of isolation,

Life flows against me,

Silencing my desperation,

Whilst from the sombre sidelines

I watch the world embrace tomorrow

On tomorrow on tomorrow

With no blight that grows their gardens to seed.

Life has no merit

When waiting out the hours to sleep;

Sleep has no purpose

When tomorrow never changes.

 

It’s half past midnight,

And I’m wide awake in darkness.

-EDP

Reviews

[barleygirl]

This poem SOUNDS like the insomnia spiral plays out . . . first the tentative recognition that this isn't going in a good direction, then more & more spiraling into dark thoughts & finally into torturous futility. I love how this sounds haunted & desperate. Usually I don't like reading things written in Shakespearean expression, but yours is done with just a tinge of this style & otherwise straightforward & clearly expressed ((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[emipoemi]

Because I was inspired to write poetry by studying/emulating the Romantics (and Shakespeare by extension) I can't help but maintain my influence, but now I make it a habit to keep the necessary past while including the modern styles, and such is my voice. So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading (trivia: my dark and heavy poems tend to be based far more on real experiences than my other thematic categories)

[Pete]

there's nothing worse when you want to but can't. inner peace and being tired from a full day is key.

this line hit me hard - Nay, light is dark and dark is light

sometimes there's no rest for the weary. now i'm afraid to go to bed tonight ... :)

[emipoemi]

You have no need to worry so long as tomorrow does change. I had written this during a dark time in my life, which I'm still not quite out of, and tomorrow never changed for me - I live life with blips of hope rather than blips of darkness. Thanks for reading!

[Pete]

my deep pleasure. i knew it was about more than insomnia but was shy to go there ... :)

[emipoemi]

never be shy to go anywhere. That's what this community is for. We pride (or at least should pride) in entertaining the interpretations of others and to start a conversation from there.

[Lydia Maria]

From someone who has struggled deeply with insomnia for almost my entire life and more so over the past few years, I can say without a doubt that I can relate. Beautiful description almost feels like I am living it. Which I am daily. The wonderful story is shown with incredibly descriptive language.
I believe that insomnia should be seen as a more serious mental problem. People can go days to weeks without proper rest and it is incredibly painful.
So wonderful job expressing how we feel much better then any of us half-dead zombies could.

[emipoemi]

it's interesting how you mention "mental illness". I'm actually ocidiatic, and I even have a mental illness poem entitled "Face Not the Dark Alone". Never thought about insomnia as a mental illness itself, but it is linked to Depression, so they say. And this was written at a time when I felt down that life wasn't giving me much of a sign of improving. Just something I needed to jot down to purge myself of the dark feelings. But glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading.

[Lydia Maria]

You're very welcome, and well insmonia all stems from the brain so in a way it is a mental illness, at least in my opinion.

[DarkArtz 0703]

ben fatto il mio amico molto ben formulato !!!

[emipoemi]

me encanta que te lo haya gustado. muchísimas gracias

[DarkArtz 0703]

no grazie per avermi dato qualcosa che vale la pena leggere. ancora una volta E mi hai stupito con il vostro meraviglioso lavoro

[emipoemi]

al menos puedo contar con los lectores de WC para elogiarme y mis obras. Ya sabes que tengo una colección a venta, eh?

[Misterr Remeat]

WOW! you have captured my insomnia perfectly! Good Work!

[emipoemi]

it's every shadow's insomnia, buddy. Thanks for reading. Glad you enjoyed it.

[Vin]

it's dark and has gloomy shades- not really my kind.
But I should say, you have a way with words. keep meddling with them as you can create magic!

Much love to you..

[emipoemi]

A poet has to go dark sometimes to take a load off their chest....and maybe save their life (refer to my piece entitled "Sad Writes Strongest"). I do pride on being eclectic, though, as you would be able to see if you continue through my page. These words just had to be let out (or they would have eaten me through - lol). Glad you enjoyed it (even though the theme wasn't really your jam). Thanks for reading.

[Keith Allen Covell]

Wow! You have such a great talent, my friend.

"When the dreary sands of time
Sift seamlessly into oblivion" is superb. I pictured whispers of fading sand streams casting out into blackness, never to be seen or known again.

Your imagery is topnotch. Filled me with wonder. The universe is so expansive. Thanks for this feeling man. :) ❤🔥👍

[emipoemi]

11 years in the field and counting, buddy. And this was a true feeling that I had to jot down. Thanks for reading! Glad you enjoyed it.

[Keith Allen Covell]

It shows for sure. Great job!
And you're welcome, sir.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

"the world embraces tomorrow" yet i can't...i dread it...i toss and turn thinking about it.
And the sleep never comes...i have experienced this over the past few months and relate so well to your words...
Yes "sleep has no purpose/when tomorrow never changes"
and it sometimes makes us wish that tomorrow would just never come at all.
really strong piece that exudes that hopeless feeling.
j.

[emipoemi]

and the hoplessness at the point of writing it was true. In a sense it still is, as I'm still in the shadows. But there's always that blip of light when I find people like yourself reading my words, so thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.