4am At Work Poem by Damian Patterson

Half Hearted
Half conscience
Lurking in the dark
I grasp at the feathers on sleep’s wings.
I have to chase the hunter, sleep, away.
Now is not the time to dream & imagine.
Sugar & caffeine are the milk I nurse.
Ever vigilant I am the sentry of my
Destiny is the gazelle that runs from me.
Gentle breezes from a summers day kiss
My face as its near a vision
Beauty, the girl that I barely remember
From that place. Was I ever there?
Did she even exist? Wasn’t she a
Fever that I had when I was a teen?
Didn’t she have a friend? Didn’t I know
Them intimately? Were we lovers, the three of us?
Do they exist?
Things seem temporary, flimsy.
I’ve fallen asleep but I’m still awake.