Insomnia's Call Poem by Pauline McVicar

A ticking clock,
I wish it would stop.
Counting sheep,
Yet I still can’t sleep.
Feels to me, time’s standing still.
I need some sleep before I get ill.
Please release me from this lonely hell,
Take me to a place where all my dreams dwell.
If I can’t be released, please give me a clue,
On how to escape, tell me what to do!
I’m sure the answer is deep inside,
I wish it would surface, but it wants to hide!
As it gets darker I begin to see faces,
People I know but no signs of places.
Please make it stop, I can’t take anymore.
I look around the room, I glance at the door.
I know what it is; it’s all become clear,
What’s keeping me up is infinite fear.
The fear of failing, leading others to shame,
I’m ashamed of myself but that’s not the same.
There’s no way to change, no way at all.
I’ll just have to answer insomnia’s call.