I’m bloodshot and bleary-eyed
My lashes syrupy with sleep
The hours of rest few and far
Between, broken into fragments
Of wakefulness, blinking through
A haze to a changing dial
Illuminating red minutes
That pass excruciatingly slow
In time to my shallow breaths
Passing in and out of my lungs
Echoed within my ears
It’s the only sound I hear
My heart beats sluggishly
And falters like my eyes
Adjusting to the darkness
I’m beginning to see
Just how big the bed is
How small I seem within it
Alone, my breath catches
As I turn in the space
And wind my arms around
The pillow I press into my face
Closed eyes waiting for sleep.

04/27/2002

Posted on 01/15/2003
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