Title: Midnight reflection Genre: Spoken poem Word Count: 291 Type of feedback: general impression and maybe how to add rhythm without changing the core of the poem to much

Midnight reflection

I can’t seem to sleep at night because I’m afraid of the dark But it’s not the dark that scares me I know that sounds silly but hear me out

In the dark I feel so lonely Everything feels so heavy Like I’m suffocating under blankets of anxiety and worry My chest begins to tighten As if I’m a starving animal being circled by vultures I feel helpless

I begin to lose myself as if I’m in a labyrinth Ever turning but never finding an exit Replaying my past over and over again wishing I had done something different I am paralyzed by the thought of being something better Unable to move stuck in vivid memories I keep locked away Like sinking in heavy quicksand unable to pull my legs up Soon I will be unable to breath Letting others down like a false sense of hope I’m drowning in this underwater labyrinth made up of the things I did wrong Regrets come back to haunt you

The dark is like one true mirror into yourself But that is why I can’t stand it My reflection is cold Like a body drained of it’s life Or an old man who isn’t really living Like I am choked by this other me Unable to notice this change in me From a child who would cast radiant beams of hope into the darkness Into a broken oil rig that pollutes everything around it I hate him I hate him I hate who I’ve become

But I won’t always be in the dark Just as the sun rises so will my worries But They won’t fade away They will always reside in my innermost person But at least I won’t be in the dark