I lay wide awake
Eyes focused on the white ceiling
Thick white curtains drawn in
Surrounded by sky-blue walls
Enveloped by a fuzzy grey blanket
Cars droning somewhere distant
Here, the lights are off
The night wants me
To go to sleep
And I want to obey its commands
I want my eyelids to drop
And dig down to touch the back of my eyes
If only I could confront
My own shadow
My shadow that is my own
But also a stranger
My shadow that is a part of me
Yet also an entirely different entity lurking in
The deepest depths of my mind
If only I choose to live alongside
Rather than in fear of
My very own shadow