Nightmare visions,
a bright white sun
temporarily obscuring my line of sight.

Black cats, faded army green jackets
& the same stagnant memories
alluding to past lives & triumphs & defeats.

"You've tuned yourself out,
& forgot how to get back in"

I remember words like that,
spoken softly, clearly. Eloquent.
A calm demeanor masking the crazy bitch inside.

It was on a cold night one December,
I remember the snow and the smell of whiskey,
I remember, I remember.

For a good number of years
there was a strange sense of love
and bitterness lying dormant beneath the surface
She smiled briefly, only for a moment
what a disguise she had.

When the insomnia came
initially, I ignored it,
"What harm could ever come of this?"
Now, years later,
the sleepless hours I've racked up
have become demons & skeletons
in my cluttered closet.