Falling Asleep

Falling Asleep Roger White Languorous head caresses feathered pillow. Fatigued back and limbs repose on cushioned bed. Eyes finish the day’s tasks and rest beneath their familiar blanket. Opaque darkness, serene silence are all that remain of the day. And the journey begins. First comes gentle abandonment from the urgencies and routines of daily life, left to express uninhibitedly the spirit within mind and heart. A kaleidoscope flashes in quick succession fragments of the past, pieces of wishes, bits of joy. What little wakefulness remains languidly morphs into the dreamlike tranquility between awake and drifting to sleep - that best time of day when the brain slows - recalls nothing about the day, just wonders playfully through streams of serenity, fields of memories and mountains of wishes. At last, the mind randomly clutches a memory and grasps a wish as both whisk by in slapdash hurriedness. Mother sings with angel’s voice a lullaby I long forgot. He’ll be a world-renowned scientist when he grows up. Oh yeah, we beat them by a point in overtime. Grandchildren laugh and tease me as we play a game of tag near a lakeside cottage I do not recognize, only dream of. He was such a wonderful dog……………………………….