In My Head

I live inside your head
No way out I’ve ever seen
Constant ideas and images bombarding
Images like those on the silver screen
A litany of films, short and long

Always in motion and alert
Absorbing data that might be needed
I’m with you day and night
Secured safely from harm here, shielded
Protected from being broken or taken

Breaking me, an impossible contemplation
Stealing or taking me away
More criminal than murder
But I am safeguarded night and day
Even though I’ve heard it happens

Leaving my cozy place and life
Would destroy me, to my death
But I’ll brawl anything and everything
To remain until my dying breath
I’ll never fully leave you

In daytime I seem to flourish
When tediously working or bored
When nighttime comes each night
Is when I thrive and soar
I’m able to create freely

My gift is telling elaborate stories
Sometimes I give just snippets of a tale
Or confuse and befuddle you for fun
Working within a tiny scope or a much grander scale
But always welcome or sought after

Not alone inside my head
There is another residing here
Not pretty, sweet, or joyous like me
He’s scary, angry, and mean, someone to fear
We tend to avoid each other at all costs

He is a bully and commands a room
But no one likes him to come
Still, sometimes he invites himself
After his visits, we are left numb
Confused and often frightened of his next

I don’t know what he does during the day
He tends to come out in the evening
His motives are unclear, and his aim is dubious at best
Disappearing for days, weeks, or months without reasoning
His returns are unpredictable, unwanted, and not welcome

I and my nefarious cohort
may not see eye to eye or relate
But we’re both useful and needed, two sides of one coin
You can’t choose only one and negate the other
We are two parts of one whole

Both of our talents mostly go ignored
Though his are far more memorable
I’m just a passing wisp of thoughts and hopes
And he is strong and imposingly miserable
Either way, neither of us is leaving

If ever comes a day that I am taken
Or beaten down and out of commission
My nemesis will surely thrive in his control
He will take root and not leave unless driven
So I hang on through thick and thin

You may lose love, and I’ll remind you,
You may be chained, and I will free you,
You may lose hope,
I will lead her here to find you
I’ll never leave or abandon you

In daytime,
I’ll help your mind wander
To wondrous vignettes and desires
At night, I won’t waste or squander
I’ll give you peace and comfort

I’ll make you want to return to the room
If you should leave for a short time
I’ll leave you with lingering thoughts all day
Of the beautiful, lovely, and sublime
I feed your hopes and emotions

While my partner may still return
And make your day or night dismal
My skills will always trump his threats
We are opposites, yet equal
One good, one bad, and part of you

Life doesn’t exist without us both
We’re in your head, fueled by your heart
Your mind knows us intimately
It understands we cannot be apart
Joined to you and each other, we are dream and nightmare

(Published on Medium, 2025)

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