Apnea poem
November 11, 2011 3 Comments
Author’s note: Earlier this year I was diagnosed with sleep apnea (if you don’t know what that is go here). I believe I’ve had this for many years, going back into my childhood. I wanted to capture the experience of it an so have made this rough attempt at a poem:
Apnea Poem
Another Day
I drag my ass out of bed
My head is pounding away
And my eyes feel like lead
Throat scratchy and raw
Cotton fills up my head
Tongue stuck in my maw
Feel just like walking dead
Had to pee yet again
Like I did through the night
Time to grab some caffeine
Only way I stay upright
Finally I’m on my way
This energy can’t last
It’s like this every day
All the way to my past
Wheeze my way up the stairs
Legs hurting like heck
I’m gasping for air
Blood pounding in my neck
At work I try not to show it
Try to stay interested enough
But before you know it
I’m already drifting off
My head jerks me awake
Hope nobody walking by
Heard the snoring I make
Or saw my closed eyes
More caffeine to my brain
Desperately fighting it off
That old energy drain
Another day written-off
And so we come to the end
Of yet another lost day
Time once again to descend
To drowning dreams, blocked airways
Is there any hope
I once again ask
Someone lowers a rope
Tied to a hose and a mask
Paxton's Head 
Your attempts at faking awaking are seriously convincing! As to literary criticism,….you rock!
Somehow it is just wrong that there is a whole caffeine industry thriving on our lack of sleep.
It really wasn’t intended as a polemic against the caffeine industry, though I have often thought the same thing, that they profit from our collective poor sleep habits. I’ve been guzzling coffee in vast quantities since I was in high school which is why I believe I’ve had the apnea for a very long time.
very nice Chris. You describe apnea so well, anyone who reads this and is wondering what is wrong with them, will see themselves in this poem.
Keep up with the writing.