Sleep

Rest

3:32 a.m.

 

your tired feet drag an unwilling body. 
like lugging a duffle bag
filled with weights.  
through a creaking black door, 
into a cramped messy room.  

 

ignore the junk lying around, 
the empty pizza boxes and unwashed underwear,
the open drawers with clothes sticking out of them, 
pieces of tissue paper surrounding the trash can 
like bird droppings on a car window.  

 

so close, only a few steps away.  
past the wobbly desk, 
past the chair without a leg.  

 

your bed.  
small,
one kick away from breaking,
brown mattress 
black blankets.  
it’ll do.  

 

crash
you fall.  
bed feels like cotton candy. 
your soul collapses back
into your body.  
tuck yourself in.  

 

Goodnight.  

 

​

Dreams

You tread along a narrow dirt path curving into a sweeping forest. 
Trees with slim bright red trunks and deep turquoise leaves 
frame you, the lowest branches barely above the tips of your hair. 
A couple fuschia flowers are scattered among a sea of cyan, 
the remnants of pink petals across the forest floor. 

 

You hear birds chirping, 
sending a spiraling 
tune to the arclight above. 
A few translucent butterflies flutter by, 
dancing through the air without a care in the world.
Your ankles brush an aglow wildflower’s midnight blue.
Soon a butterfly lands there,
and after a few moments, 
the little light 
from the flower dims ever so slightly.

 

A gust of strong winds brings with it wisps of bright blue dust.
Bends the fire red trees, 
forcing them to bow to a higher power;
rattles the brittle branches, 
making the sound of a thousand skeletons rising from graves;
sweeps up the piles of pink petals, 
taking them along as if they were coral colored streamers; 
it hits the translucent butterflies,
knocking them from the once serene air;
it sways the small wildflowers, 
powerless as they struggle to hold on to their roots.
The birds’ tune is drowned out by the gale winds, 
even you stumble and fall.

​

​

Awake

7:00 AM
An alarm shatters the odd serenity of your messy room
A hand feels around the table for a few moments
It finds its target
SLAM
Quiet again

 

7:05 AM
You rub your eyes begrudgingly
They open to a warm beam of sunlight
All they want is darkness again 

 

7:07 AM
You roll out of bed
Stumble across all the garbage
Find yourself in front of your bathroom mirror
Splash some water in your face

 

7:10 AM
Digging through your open drawer
Blue shirt
Pair of socks
Black hoodie
Pair of sweatpants

 

7:13 AM
Grab your backpack and run to the door
Put your feet in a pair of shoes
Don’t care which pair
Don’t care if they even are a pair
You dash out the door

 

7:15 AM
You arrive at the bus stop
Only to see the backside of the route 5 bus
You sigh heavily
Time to walk to school
Again.