Between Asleep and Awake – Poem
Between asleep and awake …
I know this place and cannot leave it.
Whether now or anon I must get out.
I know I am asleep, know it believe it,
Yet I try so hard, even to shout
Nothing comes out, no sound of my voice.
Cannot move, or even lift my arm,
Though I try there is ne’er a choice.
Trapped in this place, locked within some harm.
Eyes are closed yet they are surely open,
For I see all around and fear to stay
Trying to move I keep on hoping
Any minute now to get away.
Something heavy is holding me down
Dark with big red eyes, a grotesque beast
Try to push it off me, turn around.
Move now, quick or on me it will feast.
A sound, groan, my voice is coming back
Once more, try to speak, must surely shout.
Try harder, another sound but I lack
The strength to speak, to just get it out.
Movement, a little twitch in my hand.
I am on my side, need to strike quick.
If only I could sit up or stand,
I could fling the beast off me so slick.
I see it clearly now eyes awake
It is ready to bite my bare neck.
One shout comes out, for my sake.
I fling my arm back, beast is a wreck!
Several years ago I suffered from sleep paralysis. It is a terrifying feeling. To lay there between asleep
and awake, not able to move or even open my eyes. My voice muscles would not work. There I lay,
immobile, between asleep and awake, at the mercy of some grotesque beast ready to devour me. I
suffered this phenomena for about a year, off and on. My doctor told me this sometimes happens
when one is under severe stress. He helped me look at my life, my responsibilities, my work,
everything. One by one we were able to eliminate a lot of stress factors and I overcame the problem. It
has never returned.
~ ~ ~
© 2016 Phyllis Doyle Burns
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So interesting Phyllis, terrifying I am sure. It’s amazing how stress can take a toll and find ways and places to unleash itself. I personally find creativity between sleep and wakefulness, but my stress festers and trys to work itself out in my full dream state–with nightmares. Thanks for sharing this.
Best,
Mel
Oh, and Congrats to you and your team for making your good dream of a publication, come to fruition. I know how hard you worked. 🙂
Best,
Mel
This would have been a terrifying thing to experience, Phyllis and you expressed it vividly in this poem. Well done.
Mel, thank you so much for your very kind words and the Congrats. It was John who came up with the idea and I always back him, for he shoots straight with some great ideas. It is John who brought us all together here to create this wonderful community, so I am grateful to him. And Tony did a masterful job of compiling the book and working with John.
Yes, a lot of my creative writing comes between asleep and awake, too. Those nightmares I can surely do without.
Thanks again, Mel.
Very well explained and penned, this state of being- so terrifying. I do understand it, as I have experienced something a little similar. The state in which the astral body may leave the physical is similar: between awake and asleep and often one cannot move, the fears rise and imagination often takes over. The trick with that was to relax and let is ensue, which generally allow the conscious astral body, still tethered but free. Many people I know have mastered that state but not me, I’m too lazy and too tired not to fall to sleep. LOL. A great expression Phyllis, so emotive and painful in rendering.
Oh my gosh, Phyliss. I had this happen to me for a couple of years during one of them most stressful seasons of my life. I never got a name for it but your description is exacly what happened to me. I remember there being a sinister, almost evil presence. Glad I’m past it.
Oh my gosh, Lori. It is a horrible experience, isn’t it? So glad you were able to get past it also. I have a friend in Wales who was going through sleep paralysis and because of my doctor I was able to help my friend. He has overcome it, too. Thank you for reading and commenting. I appreciate it.
Glad it has not returned to you.
Thank you, Lori.
What a terrifying experience that must have been for you Phyllis. I’ve never experienced being captured or paralyzed through my sleep. Nightmares aplenty, but not confined in one spot. My mind wonders so much, I flea from nightmare to nightmare. Some mornings I’ve been so exhausted from the chase, I had to take an early nap to regain some quiet peaceful sleep. I am happy it has not returned to haunt you my friend. We all need our sleep. Peace
It is terrifying, Vincent, and more common than I knew at the time. During the sleep paralysis it seemed I was to die in a horrible way. Thank goodness I did overcome that health issue. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Phyllis,
I have had this happen to me numerous times, and got to the point where I was afraid to go to sleep. Yes, it’s terrifying. I could not bring myself out of this sleep paralysis no matter how hard I tried to shake myself out of it!
And, though I was awake, yet still asleep, I could hear and feel my nightmares coming to “life”. It’s horrifying. I use to have it happen to me all the time, but now it has been reduced greatly to only happening once in a while.
Hi Tamara. I would feel so helpless when this happened. It is like being trapped and so vulnerable. One very weird thing is that it happened only when I was sleeping on my left side, with my back to the door. It is good it does not happen to you as often and I hope it goes away forever. Thanks for reading and commenting.