I try to stay awake
but I’m exhausted and can’t escape
the steel hands of sleep.
I find myself in a labyrinth
and he’s waiting around every corner,
that laugh echoing all around me.
I try to run but my legs are heavy
and I don’t want to turn around
because I know he’s there—
can feel hot breath on my neck,
an icy blade on my skin.
I try to scream but the sound
sticks in my throat—
no one to hear me anyway,
no one but him and he laughs
at my stitched mouth.
I try to force myself to wake up
but I am a prisoner,
my eyes sealed by the sprinkling
from this fiendish Sandman
and there is no escaping those razors now.
His laugh will be the last thing I hear.
Lisa Lerma Weber loves watching scary movies even though she knows she’ll have nightmares. Her writing and photography have appeared in print and online. Follow her on Twitter @LisaLermaWeber.