The Nightly Fight

She fights against the glowing gloom.
Monsters loom and crawl and creep;
Shadows swirl upon the stair–
She spins and whirls, but nothing’s there.
She tries to will herself to sleep,
Breathes the cloying midnight air.
Knuckles tense, she grips the sheet,
Wonders at this dark despair.
Can she learn to tame her thoughts–
What magic potion might exist
To end this conflict once and all?
Oh lord, could there be a glimpse
Of freedom from this foul attack?
Please, she prays, cut me some slack,
Remove this stain upon my brain,
Repair this hellish mental crack
That allows devils space to reign.
Soon faint light curls within
The bars of her tiny window,
And the cycle begins once again.

Written for the Sunday Whirl Wordle 579 (spin, creep, loom, whirl, crack, light, grip, stain, curl, glimpse, slack, lord, wonder) and the Writer’s Digest 2022 PAD Chapbook Challenge (Day 20: conflict).