Aching

I wonder at this ache
that seems to carry me
as much as I carry it like a great weight
Aching so much that it takes hours
of staring at a swirling ceiling
before sleep claims me
but never for long
as it hurts too much to dream away the night
Demons are supposed to like the night
but mine follow me at dawn and noon
impervious to distraction or daydreams
When I buried so many ghosts
I thought I’d be free of pain
but that’s not how it seems to work
for they’re not done with me
’til I’m buried