Gerardine Baugh

NIGHT SWEATS

Reality swirls in-between the nightmare.
I am surrounded by white so glaring it hurts my eyes.
Noise echoes.
The closed in feeling is overwhelming.
I crawl from the bed, to the floor, to the corner of the room.
Shaking, sweating disoriented
I can’t breath!
I am still held in the grasp of the nightmare
Blankets pulled off the bed
Onto the floor trailing towards me
As I sit curled up on the floor,
Rocking in the corner
I can’t breathe!
I draw in rasping breaths like an asthmatic.
My chest hurts.
“Wake up”, I scream silently to myself.
Sound echoes in my mind
I am awake!
I feel like something is in the room
Watching!
I search the darken corners from where I am crouching.
I can’t breathe!
“No you’re alone.” I mumble out loud.
Drawing ragged breaths
I pass out,
Waking up on the floor
Curled up in a fetal position covered in sweat,
Shaking
Cold
I can’t breathe!
I crawl into the shower.
Hot water stings,
Then burns!
Breathe in the steam.
Suddenly I feel very tired
I turn off the shower
Open the glass doors, grab a towel
Realizing,
I still have on my nightgown.
Wandering back into the bedroom
I dig through the pile clothes
Quickly dressing
Then crawl back into bed,
Pulling the blankets from the floor
Cocooned into them
My body’s buzzing
My head, heavy, throbbing
Tying to wake up
I can’t breathe!
It’s happening again
I needed to wake up…