Fighting Sleep by Nancy Machis Rechtman

Image/ Vladislav Nahorny

Fighting Sleep

I struggle against the all-consuming need

To close my eyes

Knowing what’s coming

But the battle is over as my fatigue betrays me

And I’m suddenly in the forest

Flames are everywhere

Flicking at my legs like serpents’ tongues

And I’m frantically trying to figure out

Why the world is burning.

I search for an exit

But there is a barricade of giant oaks everywhere I turn

And I begin to pound the ground like a drum

It’s a heartbeat

The shadows encircle me and my skin tingles

When I look up you are there

As if you’ve been summoned

And I wonder if after all this time

You are real

Or I’ve wished so hard I’ve made you appear

The fire hasn’t touched you though

Then I realize we’re back in the bar where we first met.

You stare at me with those damn eyes

Those eyes I’ve missed beyond time

That impossibly know my every thought 

And the deep ache of remembering consumes me

I know it’s fatal

But I can’t stop

Walking towards you

I can’t stop

Reaching out to touch your face

Kiss your lips

 One more time

Hot tears scald my face

As my eyes fly open

In the empty bed.

© Nancy Machlis Rechtman

Nancy Machlis Rechtman

Nancy Machlis Rechtman has poetry and stories published in Writing in a Woman’s Voice, miniMAG, Discretionary Love, Young Ravens, and other publications. Nancy has had poetry, essays, and plays published in various anthologies. She wrote lifestyle stories for a local newspaper and served as the copy editor for another paper.

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