I'm laying in the darkness
Listening to you breathe
Wondering what you're thinking
As dreams in your head weave
Tales so full of anger
Stories wrapped in hate
Of pain and sorrow
And suffering
Drowning you with their weight
You snore
And moan
And move about
Chased by an unseen beast
And every so often
A whimper slips
The nightmare has increased
I'm laying in the darkness
With you in restless sleep
I'll keep you safe
I'll keep you warm
Till open eyes I see

Night can be a scary time.

The darkness creeps in to steal you away with shadowy hands. Every creak or sigh as your house settles becomes the moan and breath of the monsters waiting. The darkness hasn't just stolen the light, it has the potential to take away the world, leaving you with nothing but a void on awakening.

You know all these things are only your imagination, but the night still holds your bravery up by the throat.

For me, night time can be scary for another reason. My wife has Sleep Apnea. She stops breathing multiple times during sleep, something that, of course, can be dangerous. I'd bought her a watch for her birthday - the Garmin Vivosmart HR - and she was using this already to track her sleep. It wasn't until she began to self harm in her sleep, including biting her arm and almost puncturing her eardrum, that a diagnosis was made. She's going through the early process of treatment now, so hopefully they can help her, but in the meantime, I'm very conscious of the sounds she makes when asleep. And often my wife can be afraid to sleep because of the problems. Plus, she has always had very vivid bad dreams.

So, this poem is for her. She worries about my sleeping because of my own health problems (osteoathritis), but I just have pain. She suffers much more. If you or someone you know suffers from sleep apnea, my heart goes out to you. I hope you get the help you need.