Listless

Groan
Morning again
Alarm clamors, then screams
Time to hit the snooze
Snore for another nine minutes
Until the next clang of the clock
No, not today
He would remain in a state of semi-consciousness
Truth is
He had no where to be, nothing to do
To sleep or not
It consumed his life like a half-eaten roast
He rolled over once, pulled off the outer blanket
The right temperature to --
CLANG, CLANG, CLANG
Damn it to Hell
This time he turned the menace off
Lying there, he wished for a way out of this snare
A place to go
Someone to see, to be
A purpose
We all need that
But he was dumbfounded
Not a slow thinker, just overwhelmed
When you have vertigo, there is literally only one place to land
Down to the ground, the hard surface
His dreams reflected his mood
Edgy, silent, depressed
A conch shell without the sound of the sea
Drifting on a raft over boundless waves
Taking him to no shores
Just the ocean below with all the dangers
Sharks, sting rays, jelly fish
Friends had slowly backed off
Strange how that happens
Where are you when I need you?
It was a question to be repeated
A murmur, a constant buzz
Sliding into his brittle heart
Once so generous and full
The king of his throne
Now the bed was his owner
Sanctuary and prison
A trap not to be trusted
No he thought
Better to sleep
No need to dwell in dark corners
Empty playgrounds
Slumber offers at least some solace
Tears salty
Face flushed
Dreams shattered
It was his domain
And his only
Sleep
Sleep

Written by Michael W. Holland (c) 2008