I wrote the following poem late one night; one of the many in which sleep had eluded me. After finally surrendering to the symphony of clanking thoughts banging around my mind, I got out of my bed and padded down the hallway to my children's room. I tiptoed over to their beds to take a glance at their peaceful faces, envious of how quickly and easily they seemed to find sleep. Fighting the urge to climb into their beds and embrace their warm bodies, I pulled myself out of the room, eased into my spot on the couch and opened my laptop. As I started typing the following poem, I noticed that the thoughts swimming around my brain began to still; all my pent up emotions flowing through my fingers and onto the computer. It was only at that point, when my turbulent feelings were stored safely in a poem on my computer, that I gave myself permission to fall back to sleep.
Midnight Musings
A seamless trio of steady breaths intertwine
wafting harmoniously
through the silence.
tranquil sounds linger teasingly
and clash mockingly against my
obscenely alert heartbeats.
clacking keys provide sole camaraderie
as night sky turns opaque and
loneliness abounds.
ghostly thoughts haunt the still air,
translucent agonies residing comfortably in my
tormented mind.
details of the day's history churn relentlessly in my gut,
posing questions more potent than the acid they thrive in.
there, sedated by the steady rhythm of self flagellation,
I am, at last, mercifully conquered by sleep.
powerful!