Art

I Can’t Sleep

By Tyler Unger

I can’t sleep My mind won’t allow me The cloud of anxiety that swallows the fake Will swallow me until I break

I can’t sleep The dogs are barking It’s dark and the night only grows colder As the child in me grows older

I can’t sleep I must stay up To complete the papers, red as they ran With the blood of my blistered hands

I can’t sleep I’m too addicted To feeling tired and complaining For the thrill comes from the straining

I can’t sleep The dawn is breaking And the whole town is waking And now I’m not taking Any of the calls that keep me taken Away from the simpler times

I can’t sleep And I never will, never again

Art by Jessie Garren

Internal Conflict

By Ryan Kate Walker

Night after night I lay awake Thinking of you It’s impossible to sleep All the “what ifs” in my head My mind is hit with the painful memories

Your words leave me crying All alone in my bed With no rest in mind My thoughts are just bullets Tearing into the sound of the silence

Although you’re sleeping just fine Safe and sound like a baby With your perfect little life I envy your slumber How do you sleep at night

As the night goes on I’m sucked into the darkness Tears roll down my face My breath turns shallow I try to scream but there’s no noise

All I wish is to drown in the quiet Sweet sleep gets further away I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired Days drag on and the night lasts forever It’s getting harder just to keep it together