Sleep

Some work to escape loneliness Others drink to forget A few take a more measured route On a slower journey Towards a tranquil place Called sleep. I myself like to sleep Anywhere. Anytime. Is OK by me. But just when I feel warm And comfortable Sleeping my life away Nighttime slips away And grudgingly allows morning To barge in As always, uninvited and unwelcome. Sitting on the edge of my bed Legs dangling to nowhere I shiver in the early stillness Feeling alone and vulnerable. Paralyzed, I beg for more time Please a little more time is all I ask To gather strength To face another day But all I hear is the ticking of a clock Reckoning each spent minute. Not sure of how my day will begin Or how it will end I pause to collect my thoughts And a smile creases my face Because I know a secret That I jealously guard. No matter what happens today One thing is certain When the sun goes down And nighttime descends upon the world Sleep will tiptoe back to me Holding me close to breasts As she always does.