Stolen Hours

Oh, sleep, you once held a sacred place,

A quiet retreat, a soothing embrace.

But now your pull feels like chains,

Stealing hours I'll never regain.

They said, "Eight hours, and you'll thrive,"

But dreams alone don't keep one alive.

You promised rest, a time to renew,

Yet left me tired, with work to pursue.

You whispered lies to ease my pain,

Only for me to wake to it vain.

No solutions, no mended seams,

Just fleeting hours and broken dreams.

I gave you trust. What was the cost?

Precious moments that are forever lost.

Time with goals left on the shelf,

All for the comfort of losing myself.

No more will you take control of my days,

I'll use my nights in purposeful ways.

Less of your hold, more of my fight,

Awake, alive, igniting the light.

For life is brief, too precious to waste,

On endless slumber or time misplaced.

Dreams will rise, as stars align,

And the hours I take will finally be mine.

The power shifting, the future is bright,

I'll live my goals - awake, in the light.