restless
in the dark
she rests less
than her body demands
the pressure
to sleep
at night
climbs higher and higher
this is unhelpful
counterproductive
the more you want it
the more you need it
the more
it
evades
you
and anxiety rises.
anxiety – also not a sleep aid.
she’s tried the stuff in bottles
ineffective
or frightening as hell
memory erasers
when you’ve counted all the sheep
three. separate. times.
solved the Sudoku
finished the book
the whole, frickin, boring book
(I’msorryGodsometimesit’stheBible)
and still toss
turn
flip the pillow
and flip
again.
flip.
what is left to do?
sleep, of course.
but you can’t.
she can’t.
that is the point.
restless
in the dark
she rests less
than the body demands
defying atrophy 