To Get Through the Night

by Elizabeth Lyulkin

The hardest thing is
trying to get through the night,
lying awake, awash in your own sweat,
hopelessly adrift in the sea as dark as coal,
bone tired of living, afraid of dying,
listening to the ambulances outside,
secretly hoping one of them
would stop at your doorstep and
take you away.

The hardest thing is
trying hard not to think
of the shadows just waiting
to climb into bed with you,
praying aloud and doubting
in your heart of hearts
there is anyone still up in Heaven
at this ungodly hour
ready to listen to the prayers
of crazy people.

The hardest thing is
trying to get through the night,
trying to stay alive long enough
to get to the other side, to get
to tomorrow that always looks
different in the morning, to see
the first ray of light, to hear
the birds outside, to see
the face of God, smiling.

Elizabeth Lyulkin is a member of our Bipolar Disorder community, and originally posted this poem on our Forum.