في الحيا والموت أبيت السلام
أحاول في ضيق الوقت أن أنام
أضيء شمعة تارة وتارة ألعن الظلام
أما من لأفكاري من إمام؟

ليته يرضخ لهدنة هنيئة
ولو لبعض هنيهة
فأنا لسا آلة
راحة البال اسقنيها

جاء الظل ليسرق النوم ثانية
يخبرني أنها ليست ليلة عادية

أسكته فيعود رويداً
ليتدفق على مضض
وينسيني ما قاومت
ويلقي به بعيداً
أفكر وأفكر وأفكر
متى ألقاك سعيداً؟
فالظل بات لا يراوحني
وقد يئست من قمعه
فها أنا أحضنه
رويداً.

I lay here rotting
Between sheets and shame
Unable to move
Unable to cry
Only the sinking of my teeth into fabric
To muffle my screams
For it is too late to be in need
I lay here
I lie here
And honestly
I'll die here
Yet even doing that
Would still make me a chore

So I stay within the blanketing darkness
Telling myself it will be fine
When we know all I am doing
Is waiting out the clock

I’m wide awake, it’s four am I’ve been like this since two
Staring at the ceiling not knowing what to do.
I cannot read, I’d need a light, and I can’t take the chance
Of waking sleeping beauty and to get that evil glance.
The telly’s not an option, that’s worse than trying to read
So up I get and go downstairs, the bedroom I’ll concede.
I drop upon the sofa the remote grasped in my hand
Find an old war movie, that will do just grand.
But before the intros over my eyes begin to close
I’m now so tired, my eyes they sting and I begin to dose.
I need to make my mind up, stay here or go to bed?
This is my dilemma, what’s going through my head.
Can’t sleep here, I tell myself, as my eyes begin to ache
So now I'm here back in my bed, and once more, wide awake.

My faithful companion,
My insomnia,

In the deep of night
While I sleep a fragile, restless dream,
The sound of engines cuts across the highway
Drills a dark well into my ears,
Forcing itself into my head
Like a worm inside a red, flawless apple.

Noise, the scarecrow of summer nights.

And my insomnia,
My silent shadow,
My friend of unrest

O, summer nights, you are too much for my delicate world!

The roaring old motorcycle,
The car with a broken muffler!
Loud music from a car,
Screeching tires,
Laughter echoing in the distance,
Dogs barking.

Oh, lively and restless warm nights!

Sounds follow one after another,
Like ants on a pool of juice
I keep quiet in the silence,
With a muffled scream.

And yet another summer night stretches painfully,
Strutting foolishly over the darkness
Of a sweltering city.

I can hear a hummingbird blink
in the stillness of the moment
before the sunrise.
The light beckons, yawning
with the twilight,
Dew refracting the rainbows.
As watchful as I am,
Sleep pulls at me
like a hungry lover
beckoning me into
becoming a burrito.

Dark fur purring
beside me as I contemplate
the moments between
solace and silence,
the hummingbird gone,
to be left alone
with my thoughts
and the purring.

I like it at night,
Pacing through the house,
Just my thoughts and me,
Quiet like a mouse.

Cleaning up the messes,
Putting away the day,
Reflecting on each hour,
Resetting the sun’s play.

I light a candle or two,
Letting shadows softly dance,
The flickering glow reminds me
That darkness still has chance.

I sip water from my cup,
Feeling gratitude’s gentle weight,
Thankful for these silent hours
Before tomorrow awakes.

Sometimes I’ll play music,
Maybe I’ll softly sing,
This quiet time with the Universe,
Planning intentions I hope she’ll bring.