​Glow Worms
Gabriela ‘Guppy’ Shaffer
 
 
I have long since vacated my bed and created a nest of Batman blankets on the floor in an attempt to escape the suffocating heat
My eyes refuse to stay closed despite the the taste of minty orange melatonin left over on my tongue and in the crevices of my teeth
You aren’t supposed to chew it
Maybe that’s why I can’t sleep
I sit in silence, blankly staring into the murky unknown beneath my bed
Until I can no longer entertain myself with the insomnia-induced hallucinations that my brain flashes into the dark
Sighing, I sit up
My hair flattened and oily in some spots, puffed up with static electricity in others
I crawl toward the plug connecting my phone to the wall
embracing the inevitable headache and blurred focus that awaits me in the morning
Yanking harshly
I fall back onto the blankets that have been lurched and pulled into a halfhearted ball by my restless body
Pale grey light splashes across my face
Causing my owlish eyes to shut hurriedly as my pupils dilate painfully
The deflated teddy bear next to my head gives me an accusatory stare that I choose to ignore
The floor is uncomfortably hard but the sheets on my bed cause itches to trickle up my sensitive spine
Maybe that’s why I can’t sleep
 
 
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