Sleep Paralysis

awakened

how long have i been awake?

frozen

why can i not move?

shaken

there’s something frightening above me

shadows like faces and hands on the wall

i can see through slivers of light

movement

something is laughing

a distant laugh, but eerily close

other worldly

like an echo through a chamber

like a memory

like a movie playing in the next room

i lift my head but its mass has changed

something has shifted

my body sinks deeper into the bed

something else is here

i feel its stare

i sense its weight with mine

two beings on the edge of two worlds

in an imperceptible space

in the space of a whisper

of a breath

of a dream

something real but not seen

It cannot hurt me

I am as real as the unseen

senses returning

voices fading

weight is lifting

eyes open

was it real?