POETRY - Tale of an Insomniac

Tale of an Insomniac

Sleep creeps up on me
Night after night
Trying, gently
to seduce me
Coaxing my eyelids down
As other body parts
join the nightly ritual

my mouth and lungs
join forces in a symphony
of deep breathing
and loud yawning

yet, despite all of sleeps attempts
to take my breath away
trying desperately to force me to surrender

I fight

Like a child
Believing that surrender may mean
Something grand will happen
the minute I close my eyes

I fight…

Knowing my morning ritual
will be the opposite of my nightly one;
Sleep will be attempting to leave
And I will be begging it stay
Promising to succumb
To tonight’s seduction
If it will just sooth me
For 5 more minutes….




©Aida Correa 2003