For Daniel’s wake me up when September ends contest 08/23/2026
And when my body tires of me I lie beneath a chestnut tree, rolling among the broken burrs where solid sleep rarely occurs Waking up is the toughest part when I've never slept to start. I fear no place except the bed; where pillows weigh upon my head Memory foam gives no assistance; insomnia thrives on resistance It waits til eyes are almost closed, never unconscious, then reloads 'Neath the tree is more appealing than tracing welts upon my ceiling; each one reflects a calloused lie, the burrs tattooed on my naked eye drilling dread into tomorrow night, a future where there's no respite This bed has worn me to the bone, or have I worn its frame alone? No dreams arrive; the lucid stays, a consciousness that only strays far from the tree l'm primed to be- or not to be, ‘mid autumn debris. # # # I’m tired of the chestnut tree’s shade ~ being gentler than the bed I’ve made
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