Possession

I awaken to a black universe,
Like Gulliver during his travels,
Tied to the ground,
Flat upon my back,
And unable to move.

Any attempt at movement
Instructs the thorny vines
That bind me
To constrict.

Their vicious barbs bite
Into my flesh
And pull me deeper
Into the soil.

I struggle,

But every movement
Brings another tightening.

The vines wind around my limbs,
Across my chest,
Around my throat.

I try to scream,

But they tighten
Across my open mouth.

I gag and cough
As thorny particles
Fill my throat.

Each cough
Is met with greater pressure.

My breathing becomes laboured.
The pain unbearable.
I cannot move.
I cannot speak.
I cannot escape.

The vines possess me,

Holding me against the earth
As though my body
Belongs to them.

My eyes roll back to white.
My form begins to splinter,

I shatter into dust
That falls upon the soil.

The vines pull through
The surface,

Dragging the last remnants
Of me beneath the earth.

And then,
I awaken.

A white ceiling
Above me.

I lie still,
Confused,
Cold,
And crying.