Listen.

Restless sleeper’s demon rests a leaden hand on my chest just before morning light. How can my eyes open with a beast’s claw so near? Is it near? Is it near? Is it?

No beast, only my own body holding me still, protecting me from the ravenous fears that consume me. I am not trapped here. I can shake every cell of my body. I can summon my will to breathe.

My yawn is the first inhalation of a dawning star’s light, now rising inside me. My eye’s blink themselves into existence receiving the colors that enliven me.

My heart absorbs the plasma of the infinite acts of love that surround me. Boundless potential energy presses against the seams of this day.

Now, I am awake.