October 21, 2023 - Rahil Najafabadi’s “Nocturnal Ending”

There’s something disturbing me about the paradox
after midnight. Anything is fine when the sun is still here,
when the lights don’t need to be on, and when I overlook
shadows. Why does it all turn into fear when it happens
if everyone is asleep? Like a child’s laughter, I too feel
something in the dark. Being locked in while my shower’s
running. If the moonlight flickered and kept my sheep
awake, where will I go in search of a bed, where the world
sleeps when I do too. I cannot escape every mirror that
looks back at me––the ballerinas in my jewelry boxes
turn their heads and try to question why I stay awake.
Dream with your eyes open through the night, and everything
can talk. None of them will tell you why you’re alone,
none of them know what will put you back to sleep.