What if those moments you jolt yourself awake –
you know the times you think you’re falling
and find yourself crashing landing in bed,
the moments that feel like you pulled your guard up
to defend yourself from subconscious danger –
what if those moments are in fact the ghost
of a loved one shaking you awake?
A loved one keen to see your eyes again
or desperate to urge you to write down that
idea you just had before sleep steals it forever.

© Carl Burkitt 2020