My Hidden Foe – a Poem About Insomnia and Nightmares
My Hidden Foe
I am a sleepless soldier
Shouldering the pain,
Like a wounded warrior,
Not a thing to gain.
I’m fighting on the front line
Against my hidden foe.
The battle rages every day,
No matter where I go.
It mentally abuses me,
Attacking from behind.
I’m always in defense mode,
I fear I’ll lose my mind.
The war within me rages,
My head is fit to burst.
Torn between two outcomes,
I have a rabid thirst.
No body understands me,
They try to crush my soul,
Tearing me this way and that.
My life is one black hole.
Lord save me from this horror
That invades my every pore.
I pray that it is banished,
And feasts on me no more.
So, give me strength to fight it,
Not fearfully turn and run.
Let me stand and hold my ground,
And this evil overcome.
I’ll be a gallant fighter,
Unclipping wings of fright.
I’ll overcome my hidden foe,
That haunts me every night.
by John Hansen © 2017
Now I find myself branching out and experimenting with short fiction, and thoroughly enjoying this, especially flash fiction.
I have been fortunate to have two poems made into songs and recorded. The first "On the Road to Kingdom Come" by Al Wordlaw, and the second, "If I Could Write a Love Poem" by award-winning Israeli/British singer Tally Koren.
My services increasingly in demand as a freelance writer and I have ghost-written the text for a number of children's books and educational tutorials.
It has taken me many years of searching and restlessness to realise that my life's passion is to write. It saddens me that I wasted so many years not devoting to that, but thinking positively, the experiences gained over those years are now wonderful material for my stories and poems.
I want to try to bring a new focus on poetry and try to make it appealing to a new generation of young people and those who thought they never liked or understood it before.
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Very well penned verse, John. I hope this is not a real thing you are suffering, but just a great poem. Take care.
Thank you for reading “My Hidden Foe”, Phyllis. No, fortunately I am not suffering this complaint, just writing about it.
you’ve really done a “roller coaster through hell” description of this troubling time – hard hitting and totally wonderful – nice work, as always
Thank you for such an encouraging comment, Ralph. Funny how just one restless night spurred this poem or “roller coaster through hell” as you described it.
Glad to know you are actually not shaking hands with this “Hidden Foe”, very much enjoyed, I love spooky stuff like this
Kurt, I am glad I am not “shaking hands” with this hidden foe either. I know many who are. Thanks for your constant support.
I am glad to hear by reading the postings above that this is not a personal poem. On that note, this was amazing the ride you took us on here. I found myself reading this and it taking the form of, “Oh no! John’s nightmare was cancer.” It was gut wrenching and saddened me, until I read that this was not personal, so thank goodness for that. Excellent flow to this and very well written. Excellent work John~Paul
Hi Paul. I have written poems about migraines, cancer, sleep apnea etc before, and readers believed I must be suffering those conditions when it wasn’t the case. So I thought I should allay those fears early on in my comments but maybe I should have written a disclaimer at the beginning. I am glad this was written well enough to have that effect on you but also sorry to have raised your concern for my welfare. I appreciate your wonderful comment.
Well done. A mysterious and fascinating poem. There are times that we all experience some kind of nightmares.
Thank you, Rasma. Yes, we all do experience nightmares and sleeplessness at some time in our lives. Some more than others.
A very poignant piece addressing those demons that may haunt our dreams. Nicely penned and thought-provoking John. great work.
Thanks, Tony. Your insightful comments are always much appreciated.
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this evocative piece, Jodah. Yes, remain like a hero… a ceaseless fighter! Of course, I am saying this in good faith (smile). It’s such a delight to read your poetry after a long time. Looking forward to read more, Dear One.
Great to see a comment from you, dear Surabhi. Glad you enjoyed this. Remember the rooster, Soldier? I hope all is well with you.
Ha ha. How can I forget our soldier, Jodah? How can I? (chuckle). I am good, buddy. Just really busy with some assignments plus… I gotta do some shopping for my cousin’s wedding. How have you been, Dear One? Talk soon.
John,
Very creative! I also am fascinated by the fact that you used different colors in the text of your poem!
I have insomnia, at times, myself. And, indeed, it would seem as if there is “…not a thing to gain” as I toss and turn, and throw my head back onto the pillow, and keep trying to fall into sleep.
Your pictures and words describe my wakeful hours very well 🙂
Thanks Tamara. I am glad I successfully described insomnia. You can choose different colours for your text in the top menu when you are editing your article. I just selected a different one for each stanza. Cheers.