Stress

The demon called 

stress skulks

in the darkness 

of our minds

behind the backlogs

and bulk

of unfinished work

left and unsigned

'til the following day.

Haunts your dreams

with images

checking

papers and signing

papers and getting 

no sleep at all

insomnia wrecking 

the mindsets

and routines

and the setting

of the daily alarm call.

( Published back in 1999, in 'New Writing from the North' a locally produced chapbook, it probably reflects how I felt about being stressed at that time )