Why I Write

I wake in a cold sweat,
Heart pounding,
Chest heaving,
Eyes wide in the dark,
Frozen in fear,
Silently screaming,
Unable to shake the nightmare;
Vivid details haunt me,
Bruises carry over from dreamland,
Marking events I would rather forget,
But I know I will always remember.

Such an imagination as a child,
A very active mind to keep me busy,
Sometimes it is nice to still have,
A wonderful tool that has yet to diminish,
But one I fear has evolved,
Taken over the user,
Leaving me victim to nightly monsters,
Drawing in evils from the world around me,
Creating a portal to the Otherworld,
Allowing demons a midnight feast,
Leaving me dreading my bed.

I wonder why I am cursed,
How can such terror plague me,
What have I done to deserve this?
Nearly every night I am visited,
Held captive,
Tortured and abused,
Raped,
And yet I manage to survive,
I wake with another tale to tell;
I am thankful for my gift of words,
For I write to keep sane.