He played the game

All day
And all night

He played the game

Because when he played
He never cried

When he played
He never felt shattered

Or broken

Or alone

He played
And he played
Until he exhausted consciousness

He played

Until even the terror
Even the darkness
Deep inside him
Could no longer hold
Sleep at bay

And then he slept

Until the dreams
The nightmares
Woke him again

The images
Never survived consciousness
He never remembered the dreams
Just that a dream woke him

Leaving only the shattered terror
And the loneliness
The lovelessness

So again
He played