Stillness surrounds the vacant chill in my dim room. Hours pass as if a fragment of time collapsed. Intellect trades for insanity as the deprivation hums inside my ears. The chest pains, always the chest pains, shallow breathing, twitching legs. The candle went out hours ago, now just a distant light that creeps in underneath the door. Creaking in the hallway, curious tenants concerned, just shadows passing. Thinking about how to stop thinking, let it fall quiet, just long enough to reach slumber. Birds chirping, distant car doors, every sound amplified through the vibrations in my skull. To step outside? Confront the fear? Not till sleep, I wouldn't dare. I write, I ponder, at this early hour, my mind will wander, but I will not, lay completely still. Hands numb, mouth dry, eyes water. A thousand goals for today, not a single met. Maybe tomorrow, but that doesn't even fool me, so much to do, but no grasp on time. Wasting away, I somehow keep a positive mind. Things get better, this I know, even if it's a lie, it's the one distant light that creeps in underneath the door.