Her eyes closed on its own
But she shook herself awake
Just one more page
She repeated to herself
Her voice quivered and broke
Her hands shook as she smoothed it out
She whispered the words again
Words that no longer meant anything
She knew them by heart
But not what to do with them
Her hands slapped the alarm off
And she continued to stare
Feverishly, listlessly, at the book
The book that once gave her hope
The book that then shattered her
The book that created her dreams
And destroyed them as well
Now she no longer loved it
She no longer hated it
It was simply the book
Nothing more or less
It was all she had and all she could have
Not even halfway through yet
She wondered when she would finish
Finally get to turn the last page
The page that would set her free
Her eyes slid over the words
Not comprehending the meaning
Once more she wished she could
Just skip to the end and be done
So easy it would be
To just flip the book
But no, not the easy way out
It had to be the proper way
But she was so tired, just so exhausted
No amount of coffee could keep her awake
Her body craved rest
Yet her brain continued to work
Deprived of rest, frenzied
Like a maniac, she opened her eyes wide
And continued to read
Her eyes shut of their own accord
And this time she gave in
The book slipped from her hands
And fell open on the last page
And she laid her head down
Just a moment of rest, she thought
Just a little sleep
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