4:00 AM JOLTED FROM SLEEP I AWOKE HAUNTED BY A NIGHTMARE
UNABLE TO GO BACK TO BED I LAY STARTLED BY CREEPING PSYCHOSIS
I MADE THE JOURNEY TO GEORGETOWN FINDING KAFE LEOPOLD BUSTLING AS ALWAYS
I TRIED TO PLAY MY ROLE AS A SERVER BEGGING THE GODS OF HOSPITALITY FOR REPRIEVE
THE BRAIN IS COMPLICATED I KNOW BUT WHAT FOLLOWED TESTED ALL LOGIC
EVENTS AT WORK RESEMBLED THE DREAM
I FELT TRAPPED--ANXIOUS--AFRAID OF GETTING FIRED
IT GOT WORSE AND WORSE
PANIC ATTACK STRUCK LIKE LIGHTNING--MY HEART POUNDED MERCILESSLY
I ESCAPED INTO THE FRIGID AIR THINKING I NEEDED A CIGARETTE
NEVER SUICIDAL--AT LEAST CONSCIOUSLY--I RETRACED MY STEPS TO KEY BRIDGE
I THOUGHT THAT MY WATCHFUL PARENTS WOULD BE ON THEIR WAY
CLUED IN TO THE SIGNALS SENT BY MY LACK OF SLEEP
I PASSED ONE, THEN ANOTHER
CONNECTIVITY FAILING I JUMPED OVER THE RAILING INTO ICY WATERS
I FELL INTO THE POTOMAC LIKE A ROCK, APRON STILL PREGNANT WITH CREDIT CARD SLIPS
I WAS SAVED BY UNNAMEABLE ANGELS
ONE THE VETERAN WHO PULLED ME FROM THE FRIGID WATERS--REASSURING ME THAT HE'D KNOWN MANY WHO'D BEEN TEMPTED BY ESCAPE FROM THIS WORLD, BUT SURVIVED
AN AMBULANCE CAME AND ASSESSED THE DAMAGE
SUICIDE IS A DEMON WITH MANY FACES
I WAS LUCKY TO ESCAPE ITS GRASP
AND NOW AM GRATEFUL TO BE ALIVE
