At 12:34am those thoughts start trickling in

The world is quiet, no distractions

First, a few drops of prose

Then, a few analogies get sprinkled in

Then all of a sudden, an ocean of ideas pour through my brain

No floodgates, no filter, no control

But it's at this time, and this time only, that I'm reveling in this whirlpool of thoughts

I love it.

1. I recap my day: the bowl of cereal I had with that milk that was pushing expiration, the professor in English 102 who offered an in-depth annotation of Moby Dick, my observations while riding the city bus past the Harbor, the fountain I sat by feeding the ducks...

It's all so simple.

But then I drift to the outer banks: how will I pay for school; my pockets are dry, where is my life headed; my compass is foggy, my relationships are all Cast Away; can't find my Wilson...

The shore is a mere outline now.

2. Now the analysis starts spewing from every porous well in my brain, leaking from my subconscious to my occipital, so that my eyes are spilling over with saltwater confirmation that I should not be allowed in the deep end

3. I want to stop thinking about this now

I'm drowning in my own cesspool,

The thoughts too toxic to swim in any longer

I can't stop it, I can't stop it, I can't stop it

Ican'tbreathe.

4. I've succumbed to my thoughts, not dead, just floating

Floating towards my dreams for the night

At 12:34am, I have been baptized of my mental sins and born again

Why is it that I have to be taken to my darkest depths to release my most enlightened truths?

All I know is that I can't wait for it to happen all over again tomorrow.