Can't Sleep. Won't Sleep (Halloween Poem)

Day 2 of my 13 Halloween/Spooky themed poems. Today's edition tells the story of a person who is afraid to go to sleep due to having intense nightmares, of an evil figure out to get them. Sound familiar? That's because its inspired by "A Nightmare On Elm Street", one of cinema's greatest horror films of all time, and a tribute to that movie's director, Wes Craven, who passed away last year (RIP Mr. Craven). Enjoy!

Also, check out Day 1's poem, 13 Nights of Frights, right here.
 

CAN'T SLEEP. WON'T SLEEP

My eyes weigh a ton,

but if I close them I'm done.

I'll drift into an endless sleep,

and be at the mercy of that dirty creep.

Every night, its all the same.

I slip away, and it calls my name.

A whisper, piercing my ear.

So far away, and yet so near.

I'm taken to that same evil place,

where stewed bodies form the base.

Their anguish cries ring aloud,

with that wicked figure, oh so proud.

Not to forget the rusty steel walls.

Stained with blood, and maggots that crawl.

Chains, and hooks of wicked designs,

where only a demon would consider divine.

What's more, I see my enemy clearly,

but I won't describe it, its far too eerie.

Its image is more than I can bare,

rummaging from deep within my nightmares.

No questions asked, no explanations given,

for something so despicably driven.

Though I wonder; why was I picked?

Why does this thing seek pain to inflict?

That was a week ago,

before my body was heavy, and slow.

The way this burden makes me feel,

I could just abandon my will, and kneel.

The urge makes my soul weep.

How I'd love to dive in deep.

To lie down, and give it a rest,

would relieve the tension from my chest.

But that's what it needs,

to make my spirit bleed.

A deflation of ego,

for my hungry foe.

In the corner of my mind, I feel claws cling.

Hiding in the shadows, waiting in the wings.

A lullaby breaks out, a low soft humming.

This usually indicates its coming.

I must not resist, I must stay awake.

Otherwise my soul is free to take.

And if that be the case,

I'll embark on another perilous chase.

No, the struggle is far too great.

It won't be long until I meet my fate.

I'll just gently close my eyes,

and pray this isn't the night I die.