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3 a.m.

Everyone Else is Sleeping

By J. Delaney-HowePublished 3 years ago 1 min read
14
3 a.m.
Photo by Michal Vavro on Unsplash

It's 3 am.

It's 3 a.m. and my head is noisy inside, like all the playlists on my Spotify playing at the same time.

Everyone else is soundly sleeping.

My thoughts are racing like the scenery that rushes by you when you are driving on the highway, and you are driving so fast that the scenery just blurs together.

I take a drag off of my joint.

My anxiety is twisting my insides, and I feel like I am being squeezed in a big vise.

There is nothing new on Netflix either.

Paranoid speculations buzz around me, like a swarm of mosquitoes on a warm summer night. The kind of swarm that you just can't get away from.

I hit my joint again.

Overwhelming urgency about absolutely nothing. I feel like I need to do a hundred things. Only I don't. There is nothing to do at this time of the night.

Everyone is still soundly sleeping.

I am exhausted. My body hurts. My soul is numb.

It's 3 a.m. It is still fucking 3 am.

Thank you for reading my poem about the insomnia that comes with bipolar mania. I appreciate every read!

If you would like to read another poem I wrote dealing with bipolar, click here.

If you would like to read more of my thoughts on living with bipolar, click here.

surreal poetry
14

About the Creator

J. Delaney-Howe

Bipolar poet. Father. Grandfather. Husband. Gay man. I write poetry, prose, some fiction and a good bit about family. Thank you for stopping by.

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Comments (5)

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  • The Dani Writer4 months ago

    Wow, what a write! Took me there you did and that was your FIRST? Man, J! You got this.

  • Raymond G. Taylor4 months ago

    Compelling read. Don't know much about bipolar but the feeling of not sleeping is familiar and so well represented. As a writer, I often find a sleepless night a great opportunity to write. It's blissfully quiet, stars in the sky (not always visible) and you have hours ahead before the next day begins. I guess we have a sleepless night (or nights) to thank for this creation. Well done!

  • Grz Colm4 months ago

    Great job J! 😊👏 Always happy to read pieces that touch on mental health issues!

  • Mother Combs4 months ago

    💙

  • Rick Henry Christopher about a year ago

    I feel for you. I've seen firsthand what an insomniac goes through. It is not easy and it does affect those around you. Thank you for so vividly sharing your experience.

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