By: Kimberly Potter Kendrick

Opening her eyes she could not see
Blackness filled the air
Not a speckle of light anywhere
Reaching her hands about
Familiarity
The softness of the yellow sheets
A feather pillow
On her knees she crawled
Stirring about the rectangular structure
Ascertaining the shape to be a bed
A firm, clammy surface surrounded
Standing on the tips of her toes, writhing to touch above
The scenario was synonymous as her original encounter

Quandaries
Her arrival into the darkness was pondered
Unable to recall the events
A nightmare she questioned
The nightmare, however, was reality

Memories surfaced
Lying on her cozy bed
Her favorite feather pillow
Her soft yellow sheets encasing her body
The multicolored quilt hand-stitched by grandmother decades ago
Drawn over her head
Headphones to obstruct any noise
Lullabies to soothe the pain
Curled like a fetus in the womb
Eyes closed
Wishing for slumber
Thought bombarded her brain
Insomnia lingered

Deterioration of ordinary undertakings
Life challenging each act
The heaviness of her feet
Body dragging
Time interrupted
She stopped
She stared
Bewildered
No path around
No bridge spanned to the other embankment
She stretched out for anyone, anything
Nothing, nobody emerged to grasp her hand
Mustering the remnants of her strength
Sufficient they were not
Spiraling downward
Ironically, the landing was cushioned
Within, bruising already existed

Grey and black clouds suffocated
She shivered
Aware she was alone
Maddening ideations would not cease a quiet death
Thunderous reverberations
Masses of water rushed from overhead
Covering the soft yellow sheets with puddles
Her secret place, her special spot abolished
Tortured by the deep, hollow cavity
Shrieking in terror
Silence, she heard
She wept

A warrior she was
Grappling at the walls
Pursuing illumination
Battling to persevere
Fatigue demolished her will
Surrendering in the depths of murkiness
The pools of water lingered
No soft yellow sheets
No handmade quilt
No favorite pillow
No soothing lullabies

As she lie upon the saturated yellow sheets, her knees drawn to her chest
She succumbed to the belief
No flickering light would ever glow
Fortitude she did not possess
No longer could the rebel endure

Memories surfaced once more
Lying on her cozy bed
Her favorite feather pillow
Her soft yellow sheets encasing her body
The multicolored quilt hand- stitched by grandmother decades ago
Drawn over her head
Headphones to obstruct any noise
Lullabies to soothe the pain
Curled like a fetus in the womb
Eyes closed
Wishing for slumber
Thoughts bombarded her brain
Insomnia lingered
The security of the soft yellow sheets dissipated