Oh, sleep
How I dream of you
As I lie awake at night
I remember you
From long ago
How you wrapped your arms around me tightly from nine, ten, eleven, midnight
Through nine, ten, eleven, noon
Never letting go
Now you loosen your grip at
Eleven,
Two,
Five-fifteen
And I trade it for the embrace of an infant
I remember
Procrastination
I’ll do it
Tomorrow
Now I push you away to finish this one last chore--this one last piece--this one last page--this one last show
Because tomorrow the list is even longer
I remember lazy weekend afternoon naps
Long workdays, bed at four, up for dinner, then back again
Lying, enveloped in you through the morning hours, until the sun shone bright through my window and the birds stopped chirping
Now you never visit in the day
Now I wake at six-thirty
Every
Single
Day
To snuggle with a toddler, make hot chocolate, turn on Curious George
Then try to find you again on the couch
But your presence doesn’t last
It flickers
It sparks
It glimmers in my eyes
Then fades
Away
And Awake
