NIGHTMARE #9
Pitch black and cold
I lay on my back.
Moonlight, just a sliver,
Shines through a crack.
There is someone beside me,
I know not who.
A friend, I hope.
I'm too scared to move.
Can't see a thing,
As the darkness engulfs.
My senses alive,
Eyes wide open and blind.
I can hear them, as they move about.
A rustle of something,
Quiet whispers in the night.
Movements felt not seen.
My mind is racing,
As fast as my heart.
They're coming for sure,
And I will be caught.
There's nothing to do
But hide here and wait.
I can't find my weapon.
Why must it always be so?
Helpless, I shiver.
They're getting close now.
They can smell me,
I know.
Dressed in my camos,
Boots on my feet.
Feeling the damp earth
Penetrating my back.
Don't make a sound.
My body is tight.
It all seems so real,
This terror in the night.
Mosquitoes are buzzing.
I can feel their sting.
Sweat drips off my face.
Still I can't do a thing.
The heat is unbearable.
I can hardly breathe.
Holding my breath,
As someone may hear.
If I just had a weapon
I would open up now.
They're just over there,
Over there, and there.
The stink of this country
Fills me with dread.
Sick to my stomach,
I'll soon be dead.
One passes by,
Just a few feet away.
Moving slowly and quiet,
It won't be long now.
Then I awake,
With a start and a gasp!
My whole body jerking
And shaking the bed.
I lay there trembling;
My muscles so tense.
Sweat on my pillow,
My head and my chest.
Just another long nightmare;
How long did it last?
For thirty long years now
They come and then pass.
My breathing resumes.
As I look around.
A quiet dark bedroom,
A light shining down the hall.
Nothing to fear here;
No weapons are needed,
No gooks running about,
But still this doomed feeling of dread.
It's three in the morning.
No chance for more sleep.
I think I'll get up now.
I'll try again later.