Between sleep and wake

I'm sure some of you have gone through an experience like this. It's called sleep paralysis. It's fairly common and for some people, it's chronic.

Empty void of darkness,

Swallowing everything,

Left in a vivid hallucination.

World swirling,

Arms flailing,

Screams dying,

I am trapped in my own body.

One second darkness,

The next,

Light,

I try to jump up,

Only to find that I am cemented down,

By an invisible force.

I try to thrash,

But when I do it’s tight,

Like I am encased in a block,

Of pure diamond,

Impossible to break,

But great to look through.

My mind shrieks,

But my lips are fused together,

My legs flail,

But the world around them,

Doesn’t move at all.

All at once,

My body unravels,

Like syrup,

Smooth and slow.

Movement returns to my limbs,

And I can breathe air once more.

I smile,

Only to remember,

That this will repeat,

All over again,

The next time I go under,

The deep black waters,

Of sleep.

Author's Note

Have you gone through an episode of sleep paralysis?