6:30 am

the bed sheets pin me to the mattress
comforting
crushing
conspiring with my anxieties to hold me back
beginnings daunt and overwhelm
but life awaits beyond this dark den

7:24 am

snared by my own reflection
enthralled
imprisoned
less noble than Narcissus
for I still seek my self love
between blemishes and asymmetries

9:15 am

the mass of the city before me
imposing
dangerous
a jagged silhouette devours the skyline
fear and awe mingle in its shadow
where I breathe in its stinking breath

11:25 am

fear of time motivates me
wasting
spending
weighing every action by the time it takes
and how I could better use each moment
every decision is found wanting

2:56 pm

myriad injustices consume me
inequality
apathy
battles that I win and the ones I lose
wars I’m too afraid to wage
on ears voluntarily deaf

4:35 pm

mind and body pushed past limits
exhausted
defeated
pain mingles with relief and hope
I summon heroes stronger than me
borrowing their will to convey me home

7:00 pm

I wrap myself in fiction
wonder
escape
the fantastic and the strange envelop me
reflecting what no mirror could ever show
majesty and triumph even in the face of the beast

10:36 pm

I sleep well knowing these everyday dragons
haven’t conquered me yet