Somnolence

Gradually, concentration fails.
I fight it and pretend to be alert,
but when the words circle before my eyes—
the same sentence several times,
inexplicably making no sense—
I know I'm falling.
Surrounding sounds fade
and blend with those in my head.
Scenery changes:
I'm in my childhood home
but it somehow seems wrong.
I'm younger here,
but somehow retain my life experience.
My grandparents are alive
and I'm confused by the presence
of friends that I thought I'd met more recently.
Time flies as scenes unfold before me;
even the mundane seems exciting
and full of significance.
Emotions are amplified
and eventually, sounds are too.
Somebody is calling me, incessantly.
I try to reply but remain silent; paralysed.
At last, I'm hauled back to reality—
a rude awakening
compared to the way that
I drifted hypnotically
into that other world.