from the depths of my mind, they flutter free

sleepless night

Laptop fans loudly whir
Eyes start to squint and blur
Plough through tasks with all my might
They're all due at around midnight.

Almost done, a few words left
Must cite sources or else that'd be theft
Fingers tap dance at full speed
With full force, they pound the keys.

Sip, gulp, must drink first
Even when I don't thirst
Careful though, don't you dare spill
If the laptop dies, all will go downhill.

Skim and scan, must proofread
All looks good, upload and submit
One paper down, two tasks to go
Now is not the time to be slow.

Online quiz, just fifteen minutes
Multiple choice, a sigh of relief
Ten tabs open for books and notes
Start the timer; here I go.

The hard questions, those I skip
The easy ones, through those I zip
Double, triple, quadruple check
To the hard ones, I go back.

Check the notes to look for clues
They are there; answers too
Click click click until time runs out
Just one more, to myself I shout.

The laptop screen starts to darken
Plug in the charger, then it brightens
Double click, the file opens
To reveal the last assignment.

Go over what my team has written
Check for errors, then correct them
Type a few more paragraphs
And then submit on our behalf.

To bed I fall, crawl under the blanket
Check my phone; I'm not done yet
Postpone my rest; there's one more thing
Arithmetic, due early morning.

I spring towards my wooden desk
Heart thumps loudly in my chest
Calculator, pen and paper
As I write, ink stains my fingers.

Sunlight pierces through the curtains
To be shut down, my laptop yearns
The final problems, I blaze through
I turn it in before it's due.

To the bed, I then retreat
Lights are off, I'm wrapped in sheets
Four more hours before I must rise
And then endure another sleepless night.