It’s the suffocating weight of darkness

I am not compatible with

That echoing silence of a dark, sleeping town

I can hear the trees moaning outside,

As the wind relentlessly blows

Wide awake in the deep of night….

How graced of you.

Embraced by the warm welcoming embrace of sleep 

Yet unbeknownst to you,

Sleep has stolen my comfort and pleasure,

And left me with Worry and Uncertainty 

Tossing and turning… It’s a struggle!

I’m losing!

Just like the trees outside losing a battle against the wind.

Whipped, battered, shaken yet still unbroken 

Over there on the far-east horizon…

That’s the sliver of sun dawn

Just another day has started, and sleep still hasn’t arrived

Poem Description

This poem is an intimate portrayal of sleeplessness and inner struggle. The speaker captures the quiet torment of being awake through the night while the rest of the world rests peacefully. The imagery of a “dark, sleeping town” and “trees moaning outside” reflects the haunting stillness and loneliness of insomnia, where every sound is amplified and every thought grows heavier. The poem contrasts the peace others find in sleep with the speaker’s restless state, marked by worry, uncertainty, and endless tossing. Nature becomes a mirror of the struggle: the wind thrashes the trees, just as anxiety thrashes the mind. Yet, like the trees that remain “shaken yet still unbroken,” the speaker endures the long night. The arrival of dawn is bittersweet; a reminder that another day has begun, but without rest or relief. This final image underscores the exhaustion of battling insomnia, where sleep becomes not a natural comfort but a stolen treasure. At its heart, the poem expresses the fragility of the human spirit under the weight of sleepless nights, while also hinting at resilience, the ability to survive even when rest and peace are elusive.