field of flowers

There’s something strong and dark

hiding near you.

Every time you close your eyes,

every time you fall asleep,

it creeps in. It slips through

the fragile cracks in your mind.

When you awake in the morning

it returns to its hiding place.

Your head hurts, unrested.

On the mirror, your fingers trace

the smile you practice for today.

Every night you see him watching you

but only when you close your eyes.

You lay in bed each night, avoiding sleep—

your hope is quickly dying.

You take a minute, say your goodbyes

then everything good fades.

In each day that is yet to come

there is no mask for your fear.

An evil lives within, preying,

on the moments you still hold dear,

until the smile you rehearsed is gone.

You see daisies out the bus window,

and it makes you want to cry

because you remember when life

was as beautiful as a field of flowers

but, every flower someday will die.