Incubus

you come to me

in the night’s empty womb

entering my dreams

without precaution

and I know that you have 

stolen the face that you wear

and that 

you are false and that

every detail of your eyes your skin

lies to me

but I accept you

I open my arms my mouth

and let you enter me

if there is a sweetness 

that I will never know

let me taste your bitter love

let me feed upon it

and in the darkness

I will cry out to you

and your illusory skin

will press against mine

and I will be whole again.

my dreams have 

taken your shape

until even the taste of you

seems tangible in this land of

bitter sleep where 

I have learned to seek

the impossible 

night after night

and to dwell here

and to never see the sun

I would gladly sacrifice

my flesh

and to dwell here

and to never feel again

I would gladly sacrifice

my self

and to rest here

and to never see the day

I would gladly sacrifice 

my soul

because if there is a sweetness

in the bitter sea of sleep

let me drink of it

until I can drink no longer

Cropped engraving of The Nightmare by Thomas Burke

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nightmare#/media/File:Thomas_Burke_The_Nightmare_engraving.jpg