'Nightmares': A Poem by Jasmina Kuenzli

NIGHTMARES

You wake up most nights

Clawing at your chest

Unable to scream

Your nightmares

Which you always used to fight

With one hand tied behind your back

And a confident grin

Throw you

Sobbing,

Begging for mercy

Desperate for the daylight

You used to have lucid dreams

You gave yourself superpowers

Tore into the shadowy monsters

With your own sharpened teeth

Cracked jokes like lightning bolts

You weren’t afraid of anything

You used to be made of steel and diamond

Glittering, edged, razor-sharp

You used to breathe fire

The strongest person you know

But now, you are spider-webbed with cracks

Fractures, and hairline insults

The smallest one

Will lay you out

In pieces

And you don’t know what has happened to you

What dulled your brilliance

Stole your oxygen

And extinguished all that flame

You just want, above all

For the nightmares to stop

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Jasmina Kuenzli writes novels, short fiction, poetry, and essays, as well as the bios for her friends' Tinder profiles (results may vary). When Jasmina isn't writing, she enjoys weightlifting, dancing, and surfing. Jasmina would like to thank Brenna and Sarah, who hear these stories first, and Harry Styles, who is sunshine distilled in a human being. Find her on Instagram: @jasminawritespoetry, Tumblr: @jasminawritespoetry.tumblr.com, or on Twitter: @jasmina62442